Assassin's Creed: Agent of Altair
by WhiteZephyr
Summary: Samantha Warner knows that something's wrong with her life. But when she gets kidnapped, forced into a machine called the "Animus", and rescued, only to go into another Animus, she may get more than she bargained for; like a past she may not accept.
1. Prologue

Assassin's Creed

Agent of Altair

Prologue

_**1459**_

"Excuse me, do you want a ride?"

I glanced at the man. He and his wife smiled at me, trying to seem inviting. Their carriage was large, but I had to wonder.

"You don't even know where I'm going," I replied.

"Well, you seem to be heading in the same direction as us," the woman pointed out. "We wouldn't mind. Just tell us when you want to get off if you're not heading to Florence."

I paused and thought. _If they at least offered, then I guess there's no harm…_

"If you have no problem about my weapons."

The man smiled. "No problem at all."

I stared at them for a moment, then I shrugged and climbed on top of their carriage. The woman gave me a strange look.

"Wouldn't you prefer sitting inside?" she asked.

I shook my head and then lay down on the carriage. "I prefer to watch the clouds."

We traveled for a few hours before the man looked back at me. "What's a young lady like yourself doing walking alone in Italy?"

"I'm here on a mission," I replied bluntly.

"What kind?"

I hesitated. "Protection," was what I settled on.

"You seem a little young to be a bodyguard," the woman stated.

"I'm an observer. I'll judge when to become a bodyguard."

I heard the man chuckle. "So, where are you from?"

"Masyaf, near Damascus and Jerusalem."

"Ah, so you're visiting relatives?"

"You could say that."

A few minutes passed in silence. I'd almost dozed off while watching the clouds, but when the carriage suddenly halted I was jerked to attention.

"What's going on?" I asked as I crossed my arms behind my head casually.

"A roadblock," the man answered. "It looks like there was an accident up ahead…"

I sat up and looked at the roadblock. A few Italian guards were patrolling its border, and I could see some wreckage up ahead.

"I'll go check it out," I said, leaping off of the wagon and running into the forest.

I climbed a tree and quickly jumped from branch to branch, getting past the guards easily and avoiding unwanted attention. I finally settled on a branch and looked at the wreckage; it was once a carriage, but it looked like it had been raided, as indicated by the scars on its sides, and smashed to give the wrong idea.

Two guards directly below me started talking. I opened my ears and quieted my breathing so I could make out what they were saying.

"No sign of the raiders," one of them said. "Looks like they got away."

The other guard nodded. "Strange, we didn't find any bodies."

"The raiders probably took live prisoners," the other one replied. "They left no trail."

I frowned and hurried back to the carriage with the man and woman on it. They finally got past the roadblock, and that's when I joined them again, landing on their carriage from the treetops.

The woman jumped when I landed on top of it, but calmed when she saw me. "We were worried that you'd left."

"I went to check it out. It was raiders, and it seems like they took prisoners," I explained. "It'd be best to watch out for anything suspicious on the way."

"Oh dear," the woman said quietly. "I hope nothing comes to that."

"Don't worry; I know how to use my weapons." I lie back down on the carriage and shut my eyes. "Please wake me if anything seems strange."

We stopped and made camp a few hours later. I sat against a tree in the shadows, away from the fire, my eyes closed but my ears opened.

"Are you sure you want to be that far from the fire?" the man asked.

I nodded. "I like the temperature here."

I didn't hear any arguments, so I relaxed against the tree and let sleep come for me. However, as the fire started to die, I heard twigs snapping and leaves being crushed. I sighed and pulled my hood over my face, then silently slid upwards on the tree until I stood upright.

The woman glanced at me suspiciously, but said nothing. She lay down beside her husband and closed her eyes just as the final embers of the fire died. I stood there, waiting patiently, until I heard the sounds stop. I took in three breaths in three seconds, and then I heard rushing.

I snapped out my hidden blades and took two raiders in the throat, stopping them dead in their tracks, and then I grabbed three throwing knives from my belt and tossed them into the skulls of three more raiders who were charging towards the man and the woman. I ran up the tree as the last raider charged at me as he roared, his sword raised high, and I landed behind him. I smashed his head against the tree then snapped his wrists, disarming him, and then I turned him around and jammed my arm at his neck, a hidden blade touching his throat.

"Where are your hostages?" I asked. "And if you refuse to tell me, you'll end up like your friends there."

He gulped, his Adam's Apple rubbing up against my blade. "T-They're at camp! About two days walk from here! Please, I'm telling the truth!"

I retracted my hidden blade. "I believe you." I grabbed his shirt collar and tossed him away. "Run. Now."

He stared at me, and then wisely started running. When he reached about fifty metres away, I took the crossbow from my back and fired at him. The bolt hit him in the head, and his body fell to the ground instantly.

I grabbed my throwing knives from the skulls of his friends and cleaned them, along with my hidden blades, and then moved the bodies to where the last one's was. I sat back down at the tree and removed my hood, only to look into the eyes of the woman.

"Who… Who are you?"

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the tree. "My name is Suna."


	2. This Is What Happens

Chapter One:

This Is What Happens

_**2010**_

"You sure you wanna do this alone?" Simon asked.

I smiled and nodded. "I got this. The Templars can't hide, and the last thing they'll expect is a teenager, right?"

Simon looked up at the high school and sighed. "They've learnt to expect the unexpected."

"And they're not very good at it." I hopped out of the van and grabbed my schoolbag. "And remember, Simon; I'm good with my instincts."

He nodded and shut the door behind me, and the van pulled away. I checked the bracer on my wrist and flicked it open to reveal a hidden blade.

"This is gonna be fun." I flicked my wrist again, and the blade retracted to its near-invisible holder and entered the school.

I flipped my cell open and studied the pictures of the Templars posing as teachers. I had their classes, so all I'd need to do is ask for some help after school and make sure to take very good care of them.

"Hey! Kid!" I turned to look at a man in a black suit, with dark sunglasses, but he was smiling. "How'd you like to hear about this school's mysteries?"

_Suspicious, but I could use the school's mysteries against the Templars for fun._ I walked over to him, the frown apparent on my face. "What are the mysteries?"

I didn't have much time to react as someone came from behind me and put a cloth over my mouth. Toxic fumes found their way into my mouth and nose. I panicked, and brought out my hidden blades, stabbing the one with the cloth over my mouth and kicking him back. I staggered, but held my ground as more men in suits came around. _I should have realized the trap sooner… I'm getting careless._

Several came at me, but they were dead as soon as they took a step. I was soon on my knees as the fumes started working. The man in the dark sunglasses smiled.

"This is what happens when you mess with Templars, kid."

I smiled back. "A weak trick that I won't fall for again, Templar. Consider yourself lucky; I'm not like other Assassins."

And then, I blacked out.

_**1459**_

__I didn't speak to the woman after that. She'd glance at me, and when I'd catch her looking she'd hurriedly look away. She was scared, and her husband didn't know why, but she wasn't planning on telling him for fear of me.

When we reached the outskirts of Florence, I jumped off of the carriage. "This is far enough. Thank-you for the ride."

The man bowed his head. "It was no problem at all. Maybe we'll see you again while we are staying here?"

"I doubt it, but it is possible." I nodded to the woman. "Take care of yourselves."

As I walked away, I heard the man say to his wife, "Nice girl."

I explored Florence for a while before I climbed the buildings to the Palazzo Auditore, where I waited patiently for Giovanni Auditore. It seemed Maria was in labour. Someone landed beside me, but I already knew who it was.

"You must be Suna," Giovanni said. "I'm Giovanni Auditore."

I held out a hand. "Nice to see you again, Vanni."

Giovanni examined my face before confusion crossed it. "No one has called me that in years!"

"You're right." Before Giovanni could ask any further questions, I pointed to Maria's window. "Your wife is in labour. Talk to me later; this can wait."

Giovanni looked over to her and then hurried to a balcony where he would take his Assassin's garb off. I smiled and dropped into the Palazzo, in front of a small boy.

"Federico Auditore?" I asked.

He nodded.

I smiled. "Go and see your mother. It looks like your sibling is being born."

His eyes brightened and he quickly hurried away. It was then that I heard the sounds of a crying baby, and heard what Giovanni named his new son.

"Ezio Auditore da Firenze!"

_**2010**_

__I coughed and glared at the man in the suit. He poured gasoline all over the building, and his buddies were helping him out. If there wasn't a cloth over my mouth, I'd have told them where they could put that gasoline.

"Make sure you get the exits," the guy instructed. He glanced at me and smiled. "Make it look like an electrical fire. We can't make a mistake."

"Yeah, boss," one of the guys replied to him. "We've got it all! Let's blow this joint!"

He nodded and puffed his cigarette for a second before he stepped outside and looked back at me.

"Have fun, Assassin," he said as he tossed the cigarette inside. "Say 'good-bye' to this world."

I struggled against the bonds, but got nothing. He laughed as he closed the door, and the gasoline quickly erupted in a gigantic explosion.

_Shit! Shit!_ I struggled more as the fire got closer, and the explosions got larger. _I've got to get the hell outta here!_ I looked up just as a beam fell from the roof. I tried my best to roll out of the way, but it slammed into my head. I fought to keep my eyes open, but everything was so blurry and the smoke was stinging my eyes. I could feel tears start to well up in the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. _I haven't cried in years! I won't start when it's all about to end!_

I coughed as more beams fell onto the first one, trapping me under them. They burned my skin, but I refused to scream and found a small space to hide in where the fire didn't touch my skin. The heat increased, and my breath started to come out in small gasps. Where the beam had hit me was starting to throb, and it was a battle to keep myself conscious.

Finally, in what seemed like forever later, the beams were thrown off of me. I looked up at the sunlight, and instead saw someone standing over me. He quickly cursed and picked me up, and ran me out of the building.

"Hey!" he yelled as he put me down on a stretcher. "Are you okay?"

I lost the battle I'd been fighting to stay conscious, and only got to glance at his face before my eyes closed.


	3. Two Years Afterwards

Chapter Two:

Two Years Afterwards

_** 2012**_

__"This is the absolute last race!" Ryan exclaimed. "You can do it, Sam!"

"I'd better! Or else I'll never be able to live it down!" I joked as he patted me on the back. "I'll get glares from the entire school for the next hundred years if I don't win!"

"I'm sure it won't be _that_ long…" Ryan grinned nonetheless. "Just imagine you're running from Tyler, because he's trying to get you with his toy guns again."

I nodded as the runners were called up to the starting line. Strangely, I never got that feeling of "butterflies in stomach" or whatever. I was always calm, my breathing was always even, as it was now.

I looked at my opponents and smiled. They glared at me, but I ignored it. This race was already won.

The gun sounded, and we all took-off. I matched the pace of the person in first and held it, even as we turned the corner. She was obviously getting angry at me, but I smiled and waved to taunt her. She started running harder, and that's when I took my queue and sprinted towards the next corner, making some serious distance in-between us. By the time I was on the next corner, one lap finished, I was rocketing past the person in last place. I could tell by the look on their face that they couldn't tell where I'd come from, and it was kinda funny to see their look change when they realized that I was in first. I was rounding the corner to the finish line when I heard a bouncing sound, but it was echoing. I looked to the bleachers and saw people scrambling off as barrels were bounding down the hill.

_Shit!_ I kept my pace up as the other racers started slowing down, and eventually passed the person in second place. _I don't care if I've lapped them, but I won't let this get in my way!_

I met the barrels head-on. I leaped forwards and flipped my body off of a bouncing barrel, then angled my body so that a few barrels coming at a bad angle would miss me. I landed on my hands and gave one last push so I back-flipped over the last barrel, and then quickly made my way to the finish line. I sat down just ahead of it and patiently waited for the other contestants to cross. When they did, I didn't know if they were glaring or watching me in awe.

For me, that reaction was natural. I'd always been able to do some crazy things, especially when adrenaline was pumping through my veins. Like when I'd seen a man _actually_ _try_ to steal candy from a baby. It was funny to watch, since it seems a lot harder than the saying suggests. Anyway, he was evil, and I'd attacked him without so much as a thought, then returned the candy to the baby before her mother came back.

"What… the hell… kind of 'roids… are you on?" the girl in second asked me in short gasps.

I shook my head. "None, obviously. I wouldn't have been able to race today if I was."

She shook her head as if she didn't believe me, but I didn't really care.

After the winners had been announced and I got my gold medal, I joined Ryan on the bleachers and we talked. Ryan was used to the strange way I was, and he didn't mind. I'd gotten him out of a few fights by being that way. We ended up talking for a few hours before we realized that everyone had left the track meet.

"Damn. Is it wrong that we always have way too much to talk about?" he asked in a joking manner.

I shrugged. "I dunno. You talk more than I do."

Ryan frowned. "Geez, woman. You're killin' me!"

"Then you aren't the first." Ryan and I looked at the other end of the bleachers to see a man in a black suit and dark sunglasses. He was looking back at us, and smiling smugly. "And I doubt you'll be the last."

One of my eyebrows rose. "Can I help you?"

"Actually yes," he said, and rose to stand beside me. "I've been looking for you for a while, kid."

Ryan stood up, and almost matched the other guy's height. "What do you mean?"

The man shrugged and put a hand on my shoulder. I immediately tensed, and he seemed to notice. "Sorry, I forgot. I was told that you probably wouldn't understand."

I felt his grip tighten, and that's when I stood up. I jerked my shoulder out of his grasp and backed into Ryan, my arm blocking my adoptive brother.

"Who the hell are you?" I growled.

"Sam…" Ryan seemed a bit confused as to why I was so quick to anger, but I felt like this guy was hostile, and I decided to trust my instincts.

The man smiled, and that's when I noticed the other guys in black suits, surrounding the bleachers.

"Ryan, stay close to me," I whispered. "This could get ugly."

"What're you doing?" Ryan hissed. I decided that his guy pride was kicking in, since I was making it seem like I was protecting him.

"I can see the confusion in your eyes, Assassin," the guy said as he pulled out a gun. "I read in our reports that you lost your memory. That's okay; we need the _other_ memories locked inside of you, so it doesn't matter. As for your friend…"

I grabbed onto Ryan's head and thrust him down to the floor of the bleachers, then my leg kicked out and my foot smashed the guy's hand away.

"Ryan! Get out of here!" I ordered.

"Sam—!"

"Now!"

I kicked him under, and he hit the ground with a thump. He started running, and so I made it to the top of the bleachers and flipped off, landing in-between the retreating Ryan and the guys in the suits.

"You aren't getting near my brother!" I yelled, my fists rising.

"Take care of her!" the main guy ordered. "Forget the boy! We need the Assassin alive!"

"And I don't know why you're calling me an Assassin!"

One of them came at me, and I instinctively reacted. When I hit his throat with the heel of my hand, I felt like something should have been there. Same for when I reached for something on my back and it wasn't there. I quickly dismissed it, and attacked them like there was no tomorrow, because I had a feeling that—if they got me—there would be no tomorrow.

And I was right.

One of them hit me on the back of the head with a thick branch, and I fell to the ground. The world suddenly became black around me, and all I could feel was the back of my head throbbing.

"Get 'er in the van."

"And the boy?"

"… Kill him."


	4. In Distress, but Not the Damsel

Chapter Three:

In Distress, but Not the Damsel

_**1193**_

__"I'd love to see you try that again, kid!" the guard laughed, and then kicked my stomach. I glared at him, but he did it again. "You can't do a thing once you've been caught!"

I gritted my teeth as another kick found my gut. I grabbed his boot at the right moment and stood. Small as I was, I could fight.

The guard was unbalanced for a moment before I pushed him into a stall, not hard enough for it to break, but just enough. I ran for it, my small legs pumping as I found a ladder.

But the guard was right behind me. "Get back here! Thief!" he called, hoping one of his friends would come to help.

And they did. An arrow whizzed by me, clipping my shoulder. I held it but kept running, the warm blood soaking the only clothes I had. I followed the rooftops, but stopped short when they ended. The only escape was down, or across to a rooftop I wasn't sure I could reach.

Three guards came from behind me and drew their blades. "You cannot escape!"

I clenched my fist, the one that wasn't holding my arm. "We'll just see about that!"

With that, I ran as hard as I could in that short amount of space, and leapt. I just managed to grab hold of the building, but I could feel the wound on my shoulder widen as I climbed. When I got to the roof, the archer was taking aim. I ran as the guards leapt after me, easily closing the gap. I looked back and saw how close they were, and accidentally lost my footing. I fell to the ground, landing on my wounded shoulder. I cried out in pain, but forced myself to my feet. I saw a thug and swiped one of his knives. He noticed, but ran when he saw the guards. I held the knife defensively, and waited for them.

As soon as they saw me, they laughed at me. "Look! She thinks she can take us!" one exclaimed, and almost doubled-over.

"Okay, put the knife down, and we'll be merciful," the second one said, even though his sword was drawn.

The archer started to bring his own blade out. "Very merciful," he added.

I shook my head. "I will not!"

The first guard held out his hand. "Give back the coin purse, child."

My grip tightened on the knife. "I. Will. Not."

"Then you seal your fate!" the archer said, and lunged at me.

My body moved on its own. I deflected the sword and kicked the hand that held the blade, and then stabbed the knife into the guard's chest.

"Die!" the other two roared as their comrade fell.

I backed up against the wall, well-aware of how many people were watching. "I did not steal this!" I cried. "This is mine! I earned it!"

They didn't care anymore; I'd hurt their comrade, and now I'd pay for it. I blocked as best I could, but they cut me so many times that all I could see was red. Regardless, I held up the knife. There would be no surrender, and I would not fail.

Just as the finishing blow came towards me, a flash of light appeared in front of me. It was a gleaming silver sword, with the sun's reflection in my eyes. I looked to find the owner of the blade defending me, but the mere sight of him made me squint, as he was clad in white robes, with a hood covering his face that reminded me of the beak of an eagle.

"Infidel! Die!" the guards cried, and focused on the hooded man.

He easily bested them, waiting for them to attack him before he struck them down. As they lay dead or dying by my feet, I suddenly felt the urge to vomit come, but I didn't give into it. As I was falling forward from exhaustion and blood loss, the man in white caught me, even though it stained his pure white robes with my blood.

"You did well today," he whispered. "Rest. Do not be afraid."

As much as I tried to keep my eyes open, they closed against my will. "Thank… you…" I managed to get out before I saw nothing.

_**2012**_

__My eyes opened groggily as a screen slides to my left. My eyes follow it, but it hides inside the machine I was lying on.

"Is she okay?"

I held my head and looked up. A man in a white bunnyhug with short black hair and tanned skin was staring at me uncertainly.

"She'll be fine," replied a blonde woman in a sleeveless shirt, with pale skin. "Now c'mon! Those guards'll come around soon! And I dunno about you, but I wanna leave _now_."

"Who—?" I tried to get the words out, but my head was hurting. What was that thing? What did I just see? Who were these people?

The man came over and helped me to my feet. "Can you walk?" he asked.

I nodded as he let go of me. "Y-Yeah."

"Now, Desmond!" the woman snapped.

Desmond nodded and led me out of the tiny cubicle-thing that the machine was in. We held a steady pace (due to my horrendous balance) and when we got to a door, Desmond opened it. The woman seemed surprised, but I was too preoccupied to care how he'd done it. We got into the elevator and went down to a garage where several guards were waiting for us. An image flashed in my head, one of men in armour, holding their swords against us. As one struck, I grabbed his wrist and twisted, breaking it and taking his weapon for myself. The image faded quickly, but as a man attacked us I knew exactly what I had to do. My mind cleared instantly as I grabbed hold of his wrist and twisted, imitating what I'd seen. Crazy as it might have been, it was useful as I held his weapon in my hand.

"The hell…?" I heard Desmond mutter.

The guards came at us. Desmond fought them pretty well, but it was the woman who impressed me. She was using one of their weapons, like I was, and it seemed that she was familiar with it. I knocked-out every guard that came my way, and then as the last of them fell the woman led us to a silver car.

She opened the trunk and motioned with her head. "Get in."

"You serious?" Desmond asked.

She gave him a "look", and he crawled in. She looked at me. "You too."

I went in without a fuss. Desmond and I, surprisingly, didn't take up all of the room in the trunk, but the darkness kind of creeped me out.

"Name's Desmond," he said after a time. "Desmond Miles."

"Samantha Warner," I replied quietly. "Call me Sam."

He nodded. "The driver of this incredibly bouncy vehicle's Lucy Stillman," he said.

I smiled. "It is pretty bouncy, isn't it?"

"What were you doing in an Animus?" he asked suddenly.

One of my eyebrows rose. "Is that what that thing was called?"

He nodded again. "It helps you replay the memories of your ancestors."

"What?" I gasped. "Replay memories?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Who are you people?"

"Assassins," Desmond replied. "Lucy and I are Assassins. We just got out of a pretty cramped Templar base."

"Templars? But aren't they an old order? Like, middle-ages or something?"

He nodded. "Same with the Assassins. But they're all still around, fighting, as usual."

I paused, trying to piece the memories in my head together. "The man in the black suit… He called me an Assassin before they knocked me out…" I gasped and sat up, slamming my head against the trunk door. I grunted in pain, but I didn't forget. "Ryan! Oh God, they're gonna kill him! I have to get back there!" I grabbed Desmond's bunnyhug collar. "Where am I? I need to get back to my brother!"

Desmond brushed my hands off of him. "I think Lucy mentioned Italy once."

"Italy? You've gotta be friggin' kidding me!" I held my head. "I live in America! What the hell am I doing here? Why am I in a trunk with an Assassin?" I groaned. "I must have a deathwish…"

I heard Desmond chuckle. "From what I saw in the garage, you can handle yourself. And besides; I haven't been an Assassin in years."

"But… Don't you kill people?"

"Assassins kill people, but it's for the greater good."

My head was throbbing again, so I placed a hand on my head and looked at Desmond strangely. "What… What do you mean?"

I was sure Desmond was about to explain when the trunk popped open. "We're here," Lucy said.

"Where's 'here'?" Desmond asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

Lucy let us get out of the trunk before she answered. "Our temporary base-of-operations. We have a few around here, but they've been raided by the Templars." She led us up a ramp, and I admired the gigantic warehouse. She noticed, and smiled a tiny bit. "You'll meet a few more Assassins here."

"Great," Desmond said less-than-enthusiastically.

I rubbed my wrists absently, and both Lucy and Desmond saw me doing it. I dunno, it just felt like something should have been there. I always rubbed that spot, so it was natural to me.

"You have tattoos?" Desmond asked.

I looked at my wrists and nodded. "I've had them ever since I can remember."

Desmond smiled and rolled up his bunnyhug. His tattoo almost looked tribal, and both Lucy and I were fascinated by it.

"I showed you mine, now you show me yours," Desmond said, smiling because he knew how it sounded.

I frowned and rolled up my shirt. The tattoos on both my arms matched each other. There was an intricate "A" at the centre, with vine-like things surrounding it.

Desmond looked from me to the tattoos. "Okay, you can't tell me you're not an Assassin after showing me _this_."

"I'm _not_!" I snapped.

"It's the Assassin's symbol," Lucy said, explaining it for me. "This is how Assassins are known, besides their white hoods and hidden blades, of course."

I frowned. "I'm not an Assassin!" I think I was being kinda moody, because I stormed up the ramp, too annoyed to look back at the two.

I followed my instincts when I got to the top and entered a room littered with papers and electronics. There was a weird chair in the middle, too.

"Yo, Lucy? You back?" I heard a woman's voice ask. I saw someone sitting at the computer beside the crazy chair, and when she looked back at me, she said, "Um… Shaun? We have a… visitor."

I saw someone move by a computer and a table with tons of information. It was a guy, with short red hair, glasses, and a kind of vest. The woman had black hair, headphones, and a black jacket on.

The guy, Shaun, studied me for a moment before he looked back at the woman and said, "I don't really know her… Rebecca, is she a cousin of yours?" he asked in a British accent.

"Yeah, dumbass. Because my cousins would drop in while I'm working at a secret location." She stood up and gestured at me. "We don't even look alike!"

Shaun couldn't hide a smile. "Yes, she's definitely more attractive than you."

Rebecca glared at him. "Asshole." She approached me, and just as she was about to say something to me, Lucy brushed past me and met Rebecca, hugging her. "Lucy! You're back!"

"Ah, so this is the famous Subject 17," Shaun said in a bored tone to Desmond.

I sunk into the background, ignoring everything they said as my mind wandered to Ryan. I wondered if he was all right, if he managed to get away. _But what if he didn't?_

"Everyone, this is Sam," Lucy said, gesturing to me and snapping me out of my daze. "Sam was at Abstergo when we were escaping."

"You mean she's a Templar?" Shaun asked, his gaze flickering to me for an instant.

"No!" Desmond said quickly. "Sam was in an Animus, and from her fighting style and tattoos, we're pretty sure she's an Assassin."

"Pretty sure? Wouldn't she tell you?" Shaun prodded.

"Lay off, Shaun!" Rebecca chastised, and then quickly typed something into her computer. "One sec…"

Lucy smiled and took the weapon out of my hand, which I just realized I was still holding. "I don't think you'll be needing _that_ anymore."

I smiled weakly back. "Thanks… You know, for rescuing me from that machine…"

"Don't worry about it." Lucy held out a hand, and I shook it firmly. "You're an Assassin—that I'm sure of. We look out for each other because we're all family."

"Speaking of family…" Rebecca turned her computer screen towards us, smiling. "Look who I found!"

On the monitor was a picture of me, but some of the information was missing—even my name!

"It's not showing your date-of-birth, birthplace, name or age," Shaun said. "But what it _is_ showing…"

I couldn't even believe it myself. "What does the four stand for?"

"That means that you're the fourth strongest Assassin in the entire Order," Rebecca explained. "You were the previous number four, and were replaced because you went M.I.A."

"What?" I took a step back. "No, they've got it wrong! I'm not an Assassin! I run at school! I'm trying to be a straight-A student and stay outta fights!"

Desmond paused and then looked at me curiously. "About your tattoos… You said, 'as long as you could remember'?"

I nodded. "Ryan… My brother… Well, adoptive brother, he told me he saved me from a burning building, and then he let me stay with him… I don't remember lots of things. Sometimes I get flashes, but it's all medieval—which makes me think I'm crazy—and then nothing!"

"Medieval?" Lucy repeated. "That means… If you've lost your memory, the repressed memories of your ancestors are coming out much more openly." She looked at Rebecca, and then to Desmond. "Desmond, get into the Animus. Start your session without me; I'm taking Sam to the spare."

Desmond nodded and went into the creepy chair. I looked at Lucy in horror.

"You want me to get into another one of those _things_?"

"It's just in the other room. You might have some valuable information on what we're looking for."

I gritted my teeth. "Are… Are we really in Italy?"

"Last I checked," Shaun piped in.

"I need to get back to America—to help my brother!" I said. "They've probably gone after Tyler too! I need to help them!"

Lucy put a hand on my shoulder. "I can get a team dispatched to investigate for you, if you'd like."

"You can do that?"

Lucy nodded. "I'll get Shaun to do it now. Could you please just do me this favour and get in the other Animus?"

I clenched my fists and looked at Shaun and Rebecca, who were staring at me intently, and then nodded.

"I'll do it."


	5. When the Going Gets Tough

Chapter Four:

When the Going Gets Tough

_**1193**_

I gasped and clenched my shoulder, my teeth gritting in an effort to hide the pain. But where I expected to touch open flesh, I was holding just a healing arm. I put on the bravest face a seven-year-old could muster and checked the wound. It was stitched-up, but I hadn't changed out of my bloody clothes yet, and then I feared I never would, since I _had_ no spare.

I quickly checked the other wounds on my body and noted that they were bandaged. The wound on my shoulder must have been the worst of them, and therefore needed the most care.

It was then that I looked at my surroundings. I didn't know where I was; only that I could hear the clash of steel outside, and many people running around. I forced myself out of the bed and opened the giant wooden door, peeking outside.

Men and women in white—though there were many more men—were scrambling around, some barking orders at others, but all were in a kind of solitary panic. I slipped out of the room and ran, looking for something—anything, that could hint where I was. I saw a shadow above me, and I instinctively rolled away just as a gigantic boulder hit the ground where I'd been standing.

"Quickly! Form your ranks!" yelled a woman's voice.

I looked to the source and saw a woman with black hair and pale skin, holding a sword. She was heavily pregnant.

"Let's show them what happens when you mess with Assassins!" she roared, and cheers quickly formed around her. "Now go! Show them their mistake!"

_Assassins?_ I thought wildly. Of course, I'd heard of the Assassins before. They were legendary. Known, but unknown.

The Assassins drew their blades and rushed out the gates, facing the enemy head-on. I climbed the battlements and watched as their frontal assault took their enemies by surprise, and noted that some Assassins were sneaking around to their flanks.

One Assassin leaped off of a structure and landed on one of the soldiers, a blade piercing through the armour of the soldier. He then drew his silver longsword, and faced the soldiers. The Assassins quickly surrounded him defensively and fought alongside him. They slaughtered so many soldiers, and the remaining ones ran for fear of their lives. The Assassins cheered in victory, and then returned to the keep, patting the man with the silver sword on the back.

I knew him. The man with the silver sword was the one who saved my life. _He must have brought me here as well…But why?_

I climbed down and waited patiently for all the Assassins to pass. Some, even though wounded, were smiling, revelling in their victory against their enemy. The man with the silver sword was last, talking with the woman who had black hair.

The Assassin saw me and gestured with his head towards me. The woman looked and saw me, and then smiled warmly. The came over to me, and I somehow felt like I didn't need to run. The Assassin held out his hand, a small smile on his lips.

"You're awake?" he asked.

I nodded and hesitantly took his hand. He shook it firmly, so I attempted to imitate it. That only made him smile more.

"I am Altair Ibn La'Ahad, Grandmaster of the Assassin Order, and this is my wife, Maria Ibn La'Ahad," he said, gesturing to the woman.

"Nice to meet you," I said quietly as Altair released my hand. "Thank-you for your hospitality, but I have no way to repay it."

"You don't have to," Maria said. "We look out for our family."

My head tilted, as it always did when I was confused or intrigued. "Family?"

Altair bent down so that our heads were level. "I brought you here in the hopes that you would become an Assassin, like us."

"An Assassin?"

"If you do not want to, I will return you to Damascus," he said. "You could go home."

I shook my head furiously. "That place is not my home!" I spat.

"What about your parents?" Maria asked.

I frowned. The memories brought tears that were stinging at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "My mother and father were accused of kidnapping and killing a Noble from Jerusalem, but they did not. They were tried and executed when I was four, and even though they proclaimed their innocence, no one would vouch for them. And when the Noble reappeared, explaining that he'd fallen from his horse and was staying at an abandoned cottage until someone came to the road that he'd fallen on, there was nothing anyone could do. My parents were dead, and the Noble didn't even think himself responsible for that…Their names weren't even struck out of the records!" My fists clenched. "In a place like that… That is not my home!"

Altair and Maria both placed a hand on each of my shoulders; it was their way of trying to comfort me. It didn't matter how long it lasted—the hurt from that would never go away.

"I don't want that to happen to anyone else," I muttered. "Please, Grandmaster, make me an Assassin so I can protect everyone!"

Maria laughed and looked at Altair. "My God! She's almost just like you!"

Altair smirked and then lowered his hood. He was tan, with a scar on his lip, black hair, and a stubble of a beard growing.

"What's your name?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't have one."

Maria took my hand. "Then I guess we'll have to get one for you. Come, we'll get you out of those bloody clothes and take a second look at your wounds. And then, we'll talk some more."

I looked and saw Altair following us back to the room I'd woken up in. He quickly whispered something to Maria, kissed her cheek, and then hurried off into the main area of the keep.

"He's always in a hurry," she commented. "Don't mind him if he seems a bit distant; his mind has been otherwise occupied as of late."

I nodded. "Maria, will I have to kill people?"

She seemed caught off-guard by the question, as it was sudden, but answered all the same. "Eventually. But I will tell you why we kill, so don't you worry about it. You've killed already, haven't you?"

I remembered the guard I'd stabbed in Damascus. Altair must have told Maria about what had happened.

"I guess…"

Maria handed me a bundle of white robes, with a brown belt, brown leather strap that was to go around the chest, red sash, brown boots, grey trousers and a slightly darker-than-white tunic to go under the robes. "Here. I'll show you how to put this on just once, so be sure to remember."

I nodded. "I won't forget."

_**2012**_

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Desmond's session to end. I couldn't stop thinking of my ancestor. I'd first seen her running from guards back in Abstergo when Desmond and Lucy had rescued me, and now, her story continued, and she met an Assassin named Altair who was all-too-familiar to me, but I didn't know why.

_Maybe I'm just going crazy,_ I thought. _Probably, since I'm stressed and all._

I stared at my wrists and noted the tattoos. They crawled up my arm all the way to my elbow, so it was especially apparent when I would wear T-shirts. Ryan had always said that he thought they were cool, but I couldn't help but think that they were more than just "pretty". It was just another piece of the murderous past I didn't remember.

Rebecca noticed that I'd zoned-out again and came over to sit beside me. She'd been friendly to me, and I was happy to have a friend here. Not that I wasn't close with everyone else, but Rebecca and I just seemed to click a bit more.

"Thinking about your ancestor, huh?" she asked.

I nodded. "Seven years old when she first killed somebody. I can't even imagine…" I shook my head. "How old was I when I… first took a life?"

"There's no record," Rebecca replied, and then shrugged apologetically. "Sorry."

"It figures." I rubbed my temples. "I don't even get this. I'm supposed to be the fourth—."

"Previously the fourth," Rebecca cut-in.

"_Previously_ the fourth," I continued, "and yet I don't remember half the shit that went on in my life! Hell, the guy in the black suit probably knows more than I do!"

"So, you were expecting the answers to be handed to you?" Rebecca looked like she was gonna laugh at me.

I smiled. "It'd be nice. I feel like I'm smashing my head against a brick wall when I'm trying to remember things. All I can remember is stuff from the Middle Ages, and then there are other things…"

"Other things?" she repeated.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember. "Bodies… and blood. I don't think that, in any scary movie I've ever watched, there's ever been such a massacre…"

"It must be the repressed memories of your ancestors," Lucy said, making me jump. "Like I said, because yours are missing, your ancestors are moving in. Kind of like if you lose something and you buy a replacement."

"I _wish_…" I muttered.

Rebecca grinned and patted me on the back. "Well, at least we're getting some stuff done! Your ancestor was around when Altair had the Apple, so we'll get some information from that!"

"Apple?"

Rebecca looked at Lucy. "What, you didn't tell 'er?"

"I was going to," Lucy replied.

An image suddenly flashed before my eyes. I saw Altair standing above me, in front of me. I stood up hurriedly, as if his very presence forced me to.

"Yo, Sam? You okay?" Rebecca asked.

"What, you're not seeing this?" I followed Altair with my eyes as he headed out the door. He stopped and looked back at me, and then continued.

"It must be the Bleeding Effect," Lucy noted. "Maybe we made her spend too long in the Animus?"

Even with that reassurance, I wasn't so sure. "I'll be back," I told them, and followed Altair.

I hurried down the ramp as I saw he was already down. At the large gates leading to an area with tons of crates, he stopped and waited. I wasn't sure if it was for me—he just waited.

I stood behind him and studied him. He looked just like I remembered—or, what my ancestor remembered. He glanced back at me for a second before he disappeared, and I was left staring at nothing.

_Altair… Was that really the Bleeding Effect?_ I wondered. _Or… Was that really you?_


	6. The Leap of Faith

Chapter Five:

The Leap of Faith

_**1194**_

"No, you are not handling that correctly!" Malik scolded me again. "Here, for the last time, _this_ is how you hold it!"

Malik showed me the correct way to hold the blade, and I knew right there and then that what I had been doing was correct. Malik was completely off-balance, and wasn't holding the grip right.

"I am sure that this is how you hold it!" I replied, taking back the blade and showing him. "This will allow me to strike fast and strong. If I hold it the way you are showing me, I might as well run into my enemy's blades and spare myself the death you are convicting me to!"

Malik rested his head in his only hand and shook it. "I swear, sometimes I do not understand why you _aren't_ related to Altair! You're just like him!"

"I am not 'just like' the Grandmaster, Master Malik," I chided, and swung my sword against the training dummy. "I have many years of practice yet. I may never get to his level at the rate I'm going."

"Well excuse me for trying to help!" The older man frowned, but it seemed like an effort. I believed that what he really wanted to do was smile. "You're eight now, are you not?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Even we Assassins allow children to play. Why do you not? I have only seen you practice, practice, practice ever since you got here!" Malik sat on a crate. "Why don't you play with the other children?"

I struck the dummy again and stepped back, pretending as if a sword was coming at me. "I have no interest in that sort of thing."

"No interest?"

I saw Malik's curiosity. There was no doubt that, as a boy, he'd trained with other Assassins his age, along with Altair.

"I came here to become strong," I answered. "I came here to learn how to protect. To fight for the right thing. Not to play."

Malik watched me hit the dummy a few more times before he said, "Probably because you do not know how to."

I glared at him as best I could. "I can play with other children if I wish to! And I have no wish! There are more important things to do, like clean the battlements, tidy your room, train, learn, read, write… Playing is for people who do not care for these things." I jabbed a finger in my direction. "And _I_ care for these things!"

Malik smiled weakly, and then motioned with his arm. "Get back to it! I want to see that dummy in pieces!"

I smirked and started to hack at the dummy quickly, using the strokes that Malik, Maria and Altair had taught me. When the dummy was totally demolished, Malik ordered me to stop.

"Which swing were you most comfortable with?" he asked.

I held up the sword and swung it diagonally from the upper left to the lower right. "This one, Master Malik."

"And most uncomfortable?"

I swung the blade horizontally from the right to the left. "This one."

"This is what I want you to do…" Malik stood and put a hand on my shoulder. "Practice the most uncomfortable swing until it feels as natural to you as your most comfortable, and keep your training up. Use your left arm, as well. You may need it one day."

I nodded. "Yes, Master Malik."

He grinned. "It seems I was wrong; you aren't like him. You actually listen!"

I couldn't hide my smile. "Told you."

"What's this?" Altair asked. "Malik, you're corrupting my daughter!"

"Better she become corrupted by me than blinded by you!" Malik shot back. I knew of their relationship, so even though they seemed to argue a lot, I knew they were mostly joking around. "I think she would do better under my tutelage than yours!"

"I think she's doing very well!" Altair playfully punched my shoulder, the one that had been wounded a year ago. I had many scars because of that day, and I used them as reminders of what happens when you are not strong. "It won't be very long before she is training Darim!"

"How is Darim?" I asked the Grandmaster.

He smiled. "Darim is as active as usual. Maria can barely rest when he's awake or asleep. It is very strange being a father, but I help as much as I can."

"I can help too?"

"Of course! You're his big sister!" Altair took my sword and put it on the weapons rack. "Actually, I could use some help right now. Darim has been keeping me company, but I must finish something. Would you watch him and play with him until I am finished?"

"Yes, Grandmaster," I said.

"I thought playing was for people with nothing to do?" Malik asked, smirking.

I frowned. "The Grandmaster asked me. I will be honoured to perform this task."

"Please, call me Altair." Altair led me inside the main part of the keep, and then let his hood fall. "Better yet, call me father."

"I would not feel comfortable calling you that, Grandmaster." I let my own hood fall, my shoulder-length brown hair coming out of it easily and framing my sharp face. Most prominent on my face were my sapphire-blue eyes. "I was old enough to know my father. I feel like I would disappoint him if I called you by that name."

Altair nodded in understanding as we climbed the stairs. "What were your parents' names?"

"Ada and Talah," I replied. "I did not know our last name."

"I once knew someone by the name of Ada," Altair said. "She was very brave, and I was privileged to know her. I think Talah was the name of a man I killed earlier in my life… Or was it Tamir? Both?" He shrugged. "But they are both strong names. I am glad that Maria chose a name for you that was as strong as those."

I nodded. "I cannot thank you both enough. I will become the strongest Assassin you've ever seen, so you will not regret taking me in."

Altair smiled. "We haven't regretted a day."

I saw Darim hanging from the balcony. He quickly started to cry, so I ran beneath him and caught him just as he fell, but I tripped on the stairs and fell forwards. I held the baby Darim, shielding him from the brunt of the blow. I sighed and let him sit on my lap.

"Darim!" I scolded. "You must wait to become a strong Assassin! Too soon and you could kill yourself!"

"Are you all right, Suna?" Maria asked.

I just noticed that she'd entered the main keep, and smiled. "Yes, Maria. I am well. As is Darim." I rubbed the top of his head, which he seemed to like. "He is sometimes too adventurous, like his father, I guess."

Maria smiled and looked up at Altair, who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ah, my husband left our child alone again?"

"To get Suna…" he replied. "I needed to finish my work, and Darim was trying to drink the ink…"

I smiled. "I will remember that, Darim. And then you will not be able to escape the wrath of your big sister!"

Darim seemed to understand that, and frowned as best as his baby face would allow. I laughed, and then Maria took Darim.

"It is time for you to sleep, Darim." She glanced back at me and smiled. "Suna, please watch my idiot husband. He may imitate our baby with the ink."

I nodded. "Of course, Maria."

"How come you call her by her name and not me?" Altair asked as Maria left.

"She asked me to," I replied, smiling.

"I think Malik has rubbed off on you…" I heard him grumble.

_**2012**_

__Lucy let me out of the Animus finally. I seemed to be getting used to it, since I wasn't feeling so drunk when I got out.

"So, your ancestor's name finally comes out," Shaun commented. "Not one I'm very familiar with though. 'Suna' seems similar to 'Suha', which is Arabic for a star, similar to Altair's name, since he's named after a star in the sky."

"Thanks for more useless information, Shaun," Rebecca said. "We really needed that."

"Just thought it was interesting, is all…" he muttered, and then returned to his computer.

I rubbed my wrists again. "When am I going back in?" I asked.

"What, so soon?" Desmond asked.

I nodded. "It just feels so… familiar there." I chuckled and smiled. "Like… home."

Lucy rubbed her eyes. "Its probably your ancestor's influence."

I tilted my head, as I did whenever I got confused. "What's up?"

"N-Nothing!" Lucy assured me, but I could see she was lying.

"Are you trying not to cry?"

I heard Rebecca chuckle. "Lucy tries not to cry so everyone thins she's still a badass. But when something happens that seems 'heart-warming/heartfelt/cute', etc. happens, she just thinks it's so adorable."

"Do not!" Lucy quickly objected.

I laughed along with Rebecca, but stopped when I saw Altair again. I slipped out of the room and followed him back down to the gate, where he stood and stared at it for a while.

"Altair?" I asked. "What're you _doing_ here?"

_Am I just talking to a vision of the Bleeding Effect?_ I wondered. _Just please, don't answer me. Just pretend I'm not here._

Altair looked at me sadly and then to the gate. I honestly thought about running back up the ramp and slamming my head against one of the many brick walls right then and there, but before I could, he disappeared again.

I frowned and stood in the spot he'd disappeared, and looked where he'd been staring. I could see a crate that was unmarked just past the gate. I rubbed my eyes when they started to hurt, because I'd been staring at it too hard, and when I opened them, I could somehow _see_ the combination on the keypad to open the gate.

"The hell…?" I muttered. Regardless, I typed in the code, and the gate slid open. "Bingo."

I went to the crate and opened it. Inside were several robes, all white, and weapons.

I picked out a silver dagger that reminded me of the one Altair wore across his back, and then dug through the rest. There were so many things inside, I lost count, but I picked out two things that interested me most; two hidden blades.

One was designed very much like the one I'd seen Altair wear, with the leather underneath, but I could instantly tell it was modified. As if my body moved on its own, I slipped the hidden blade onto my left arm and tested it. It narrowly missed my fingers, but I knew I was safe in that manner. I could tell just by looking that it was sharp, and I could use it for defence as well, seeing as there was an entire metal bracer clad around the blade and the bracer with the very same intricate "A" on it. The second one was exactly like it, but modified for the right arm. They almost looked out-of-place on me, but I made them work.

"Who said that taking a style class in school wouldn't get me anywhere?" I said aloud, grinning. "Ryan, I just proved you wrong!"

When I got back into the room where everyone was based, they saw the bracers on my arms and looked at me suspiciously.

"Where'd you get those?" Shaun asked.

"A crate," I replied.

Lucy rubbed her chin. "But… all the crates are behind the gate, and only we know the code…"

I smiled and shrugged. "Let's just say I took a Leap of Faith."


	7. Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted

Chapter Six:

Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted

_**1200**_

"Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine. These are the words spoken by our ancestors, the first of us: Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted." Altair held out his hand, and I placed the bloody feather in his hand. "Today, another joins our ranks. Suna, please rise."

I stood and held out my left hand. Altair brought the white-hot metal to my ring finger and let it sear against my skin. Besides a grimace, I tried not to show how much it hurt. Compared to what Altair did, this was nothing. Altair finally took the metal off of my hand and handed me a leather bracer, with armour plating on the part that faced outward, and the unmistakeable chamber of a hidden blade on the part that faced me. It looked just like Altair's.

"I know that this was not the first man you killed," Altair said as he let the feather fall into the fire (even though it floated for a time), "but he was the first you killed as one of us."

I slid the hidden blade onto my left hand and flicked my wrist quickly. The blade sprung out, and missed my fingers. I clenched my fist and realized that the blade had been modified. Altair had said that he was going to find ways to disguise Assassins better, and the lack of a ring finger spelled-out who we were when we would be seen. After all, many people wore white, and hoods were common. The same went with our weapons.

Altair motioned to the ramp extending past the tower. There were three, and I'd seen many Assassins leap off of them before. Maria, Darim, and Sef were watching me carefully, studying my emotions. I'd learnt not to show them, but I smiled in their direction before I moved onto the ramp.

Altair went to the edge of the ramp next to mine. He smiled and spread his arms, like he had wings, and leaped off. I imitated him, and plummeted down. The adrenaline rushed through my body, and the wind whipped at my eyes, but I forced myself to look on. Because this was my first Leap of Faith, and I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be the last.

I hit the haystack dead-on and breathed a sigh of relief. I popped out and saw Altair lying on his haystack casually, almost like he'd just floated down in that position. He got up and held out his right hand, and I shook it firmly, just like he had when we'd first met.

"Welcome to the Assassins, Suna," Altair congratulated. "May you always fight for the weak, and bring justice to the wicked."

_**2012**_

__"I don't believe this," Shaun muttered as he typed on his screen quickly.

"What?" I asked, looking over his shoulder. "You don't believe what? C'mon, don't leave us mere mortals hangin'!"

Shaun glared at me. "Your ancestor, Suna Ibn La'Ahad, became a high-ranked Assassin when she was only fourteen! And look; I fast-forwarded as much as I could, and she's the one who taught Darim how to use a crossbow!"

"Really?" I studied the screen and saw my ancestor showing a young Darim how to use the weapon Shaun stated. She scolded him when he got it wrong, but nodded when he did something right. She _never_ praised him. "Hey, Desmond! It looks like my ancestors taught one of your ancestors a thing-or-two!"

"Yeah? Well, Altair taught Suna everything he knew, so _he_ was _her_ mentor!" Desmond shot back.

I grinned. "Just think; without my ancestor, Genghis Khan wouldn't have died, because Darim killed him _with_ _a crossbow_!"

Desmond shook his head. "Shut-up, Sam!" I could see, however, that he was laughing.

"Lucy, there's another memory break," Rebecca pointed-out to her friend. "Look; here, at the very beginning of Ezio's memory node, and here; in a memory node of Sam's. The difference is, in Sam's, it has half the memory contained, but we won't know the end result."

"What?" Lucy checked Rebecca's computer screen while Desmond and I glanced at each other. "Try to get information on how to surpass that node!"

Rebecca typed quickly. "Hm… Well, it looks like there was some sort of traumatic event that almost cleaned out the memory." Rebecca saw me tilt my head—something she'd gotten used to seeing. "It means that your ancestor tried to forget what had happened, but instead only suppressed the memory."

I nodded. "Hey, sorry for the change in subject, but do you guys have any clean clothes and… deodorant? I haven't changed clothes yet…"

Lucy looked at me funny and then led me out of the room. "We have only a few spares, but I get what you mean."

"Thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my head.

Lucy left me in the bathroom and handed me a stick of deodorant, and then found some clothes for me. Blue jeans, and a black shirt.

I quickly changed and glanced at myself in the mirror. I'd never been one to fix hair before, but even _I_ could admit that my naturally curly brown hair looked like a rat's nest. After forcing a few strands down, I realized that my eyes looked strangely _alive_, almost like they'd been sleeping for such a long time, so they finally got some good ol' rest. I'd thought that it was a bit strange with Desmond and I; he and his ancestors looked really alike, especially with the identical scar on their lips, but Suna and I… we had the same brown hair, the same face shape, the shape of our eyes, but our eyes were too different. Suna's were sapphire-blue, and mine were liquid-gold. Everyone I knew always commented that my eyes were strange, and almost cat-like.

I opened the door and headed back to the main room when I wondered if Suna and I shared the same scars. Sure enough, we did. I had scars on my abdomen that I remembered were from those guards that had chased Suna when she'd first met Altair. And when I rolled my left sleeve up all the way to my shoulder, I found the scar that the archer had given her; the very one that Altair had patched up.

"Cool…" I muttered.

"Are you going to keep standing there and admiring yourself, or are you going to get back into the Animus?" Shaun snapped.

My body went frigid and I immediately rolled down my shirt (which, luckily, I had decided not to bring up further than the top of my abdomen). Rebecca was trying to hide her laughter by hiding behind her monitor, but I could see her shoulders shaking madly.

"S-Sorry!" I gasped. "I just… Desmond has the same scar as Altair and Ezio, so I was a bit curious…"

"So… do you?" Desmond asked.

It seemed like he wasn't the only one who was curious. I brought my sleeve back up and showed them the scar identical to the one from the archer, and then I lifted my shirt a tiny bit to show them the wounds his friends had given Suna after the archer's death.

"You probably got those throughout your career as an Assassin," Lucy remarked. "I don't see any other way you could've gotten them."

"Yeah…" I brought my shirt back down, as well as my sleeve. "Still…"

Lucy paused before she asked me to get into the Animus 2.0, though Rebecca insisted that everyone call it "Baby". Even the spare was supposed to be called Baby.

"So, are we gonna check that crazy memory of mine?" I asked.

Lucy nodded. "We might as well. And then we can get past that and figure out what's what. I don't see any break in the node from your ancestor, which means her memories stretch for pretty long, but I think that might be just a tiny glitch. Don't sweat about it."

I nodded. "Okay. Let's do this!"

"You're awfully excited," Lucy said. "Why?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I guess its just nice to live a past, and be able to remember it."

_**1203**_

__"Darim…" I sighed and took the wooden knife from the ten-year-old. "No. See, _this_ is how you hold it!"

Darim took the knife back and imitated me. "Like… this?"

"That's better." I drew my own shortblade and held it in front of me defensively. "Now, I want you to try and hit me holding the blade like that. Don't worry; I will not fight back. But when you go up against a strong opponent, you want to find the cracks in their defence when you first start fighting. While attacking me, I will tell you where I could kill you. I want you to remember those spots and work hard to erase them from existence."

Darim nodded and attacked. His defence was full of holes, but I didn't chastise him about it. He would learn, eventually.

"Your left side!" I told him. "You attack using your left as momentum, when you should be using your right! If you use your left side while holding the blade in your right, and vice-versa, then you'll throw your weight around too much, and that side will be open to attack!"

Darim quickly righted himself and attacked again. I nodded in approval, and then caught his wooden shortblade.

"That is enough for today. Go and play with your friends, but remember to work on what I told you." I saw Darim smile and run off. I couldn't help but smile as well, and I watched him go. When he was gone from my sight, I put the wooden shortblade on the weapon stand and replaced my own silver shortblade onto my back.

"I thought you did not like it when young Assassins went to play with their friends?" Malik came and stood beside me. "Wasn't it something they did if they did not care about their training?"

"Yes, well, Darim worked hard today, so I decided it was worth rewarding." I headed into the main part of the keep, Malik following me. "You should take him as an Apprentice. He would learn much from you."

"I believe that it would be best if you took him on," Malik replied. "Altair and I taught you as best we could, so I am certain that you would do the same for Darim."

"I cannot," I said quickly. "Even I know there are limits. I am young, and I have not learned all I need to know. It would be best if someone wiser took him."

Malik laughed as I grabbed a book from the shelves. "You mean older, Suna! Even _I_ know when you're joking, as much as you try to hide it!"

"Not hide it; it is merely immature." However, I couldn't help but smile.

"Your smile contradicts you, Suna." Malik patted my shoulder. I had heard from Maria and the other Assassins around Masyaf that Malik and Altair had rarely ever smiled, and then Maria became pregnant, Altair married, and Malik was his best friend and most trusted Assassin. Things tended to be brighter when they went your way. "But that is good. Our work, serious as it is, needs happiness sometimes."

I nodded in understanding and realized that the book I was holding was not the correct one. I checked through the shelves quickly and found that it was not there.

"Malik, where did 'The Art of War' get to?" I asked.

Malik studied the shelf and frowned. "It should have been here. No one is permitted to take books out of the keep; especially that one."

"Something is wrong," I observed, and slid the book I was holding back onto the shelf. "I can feel it."

"You investigate the area." Malik started up the stairs. "I will ask Altair to help me look for the book, just-in-case some fool placed the book elsewhere."

I nodded and headed out to Masyaf. The sun was getting low, but I knew that the book had to be retrieved. I spotted two men speaking furiously at each other, and sat on a bench not far from them.

"Why would he take the book from the Grandmaster's own collection?" one of the men raged. I recognized him as the potter. "He knows that it is foolish, and that he will be caught and punished!"

"I think he wants to be," the other man replied, stroking his beard. I remembered that he was the butcher. "Mohammad has never been one for rules, and is always looking for trouble."

_Mohammad? I remember him. He tried to kill me once, but I did not tell the Grandmaster about it._ _He decided that that act of mercy was an insult._ I shook my head. _What a fool._

The potter looked around to see if anyone was watching. I pretended to be asleep, and then he leaned in and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mohammad wants to be caught so he can fight another Assassin, preferably one who is already a Master," the butcher explained. "He believes that then, and only then, will he be recognized as a strong Assassin, and be brought up into the rank of 'Master'."

"The fool!" the potter scoffed. "Assassins are patient! He can't expect to be handed that title on a silver plate! We all know that Altair's adopted daughter, Suna, worked hard to become an Assassin! So what if Mohammad was training since he was born? What it comes down to is that Suna worked harder and had more talent than he! Now look! She is a Master Assassin, and has been since she was fourteen! Grandmaster Altair has not coddled her, and I remember many a day that she and Altair were at odds!"

"That's just it; Mohammad believes that Suna is not strong enough. He believes that the position of Master should have been given to him." The butcher shook his head. "That boy will get himself killed if he does not return that book. It is a very rare book, and I know that not even the Templars have it. If they got their hands on it… every strategy that the Assassins utilize will be known."

The potter crossed his arms. "Will you help me look for that fool boy?"

"I will. He will most likely be with his friends, as they never leave his side."

The butcher and the potter walked off. That was when I stood up and slid my hood over my head. _Mohammad… You fool. That book is worth much to the Grandmaster. I will retrieve it, and I will ensure that justice is issued._

I sped across the rooftops and found Mohammad in no time, by the sea, harassing a woman… as usual. His friends and he were pushing her in a circle, and her balance was lost instantly.

I dropped in front of the woman, startling Mohammad and his friends. "Why don't you fight someone your own size, Mohammad?"

Mohammad laughed. "My own size? If you are implying that I fight you, then you must be blind and ignorant! I am a man, and you are a woman. I am naturally bigger and stronger than you are!"

"Is that what you wish to prove?" I asked as I helped the woman to her feet. "Is that why you stole the book?"

Mohammad laughed harder. "So that is why you come, Suna!"

The woman stared at me in recognition. "_Suna_? The young Master Assassin? Suna of the Shadow-Step?"

I tilted my head. It was no doubt that many people did not know what I looked like, since I never left the keep unless I was on a mission, but that last part…

"Shadow-Step?" I repeated. "My name _is_ Suna. Why the nickname? When did I get a nickname?"

"You didn't know?" one of Mohammad's friends asked. "Around here, you are Suna of the Shadow-Step, known for never making a sound when stalking prey. Many people know you by that name, though it is only whispered."

"I… am speechless." I turned to the woman. "Can you get home by yourself? Or would you like me to help?"

She shook her head. "I can make it. Thank-you, Master Assassin."

As the woman ran off, it seemed that Mohammad had become angered by his friend and the woman, who had called me "Master Assassin".

"I will not return the book," Mohammad said as calmly as he could, then drew his sword, "unless you can defeat me and _take_ it back."

"Mohammad, we are Assassins; brothers and sisters. Why fight each other? We have enemies that must be vanquished for the sake of the world!" I frowned. "Are your friends as keen about fighting me, as you are?"

Mohammad looked to his friends. One stepped away; the one who had told me about my nickname, while the other two drew their blades as well.

"Coward," Mohammad growled. "Leave then! I do not need someone who is too weak to draw their blade!"

"Against a comrade?" The young Assassin shook his head. "I see what Suna speaks of. We must let this go, Mohammad. Your time shall come."

"Be silent!" he snapped.

I drew my shortblade, my favourite weapon besides my hidden blade, and held it in front of myself defensively. "Your friend is wise. Drop your weapon, or I will make you."

Mohammad attacked. I parried the blow and kicked his side, then guarded against one of his friends. They locked our blades together, but I stepped back quickly. He was falling because of the weight he'd put forward and his face met my fist, sending him into his friend. The two fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs while Mohammad came at me again. I saw the book in his belt, and quickly formulated a plan.

"You!" I said to the Assassin who had refused to help Mohammad while I fended him off. "What is your name?"

"Talal!" he answered readily.

"Please get either Master Malik or Grandmaster Altair down here now!"

He nodded and ran off. I knew that, in their rage, Mohammad and his friends had not heard a word of what I asked of Talal. I connected my elbow to the face of the Assassin I'd already hit with my fist, and then slashed at his gut with my shortblade. It was shallow, so it would heal, but it was deep enough that I knew he would not get back up.

"You killed him!" Mohammad attacked me with a renewed vigor, but his rage blinded him. He did not see that I had only paralysed his friend.

His last friend swung his sword as hard as he could, and I side-stepped to avoid the swing. He tripped, his momentum carrying him, and headed towards the edge of the cliff. I grabbed the book from Mohammad's belt and then reached out, grabbing his friend's hand just before he fell.

I sighed in relief as I slid the book into my belt (Mohammad hadn't noticed that it was gone yet) and pulled the Assassin away from the edge. He looked up at me with a surprising admiration, and was about to say something when some blood was flicked onto his face.

I gasped and clutched the blade protruding from my gut. Mohammad slowly slid the sword out from my guts and through my back, but the blade did not cut through my leather gloves as I held it. I heard him start to laugh.

"_Nothing_ is True," he remarked as he placed a hand on my back. "_Everything_ is Permitted." He twisted me around and clenched the collar of my robes, then ripped my hood off of my head.

But I found the strength to glare at him. "You do not know the meaning of the phrase."

I knew it had angered him further. He would have said something else, had it not been for a voice cutting through the air.

"Suna!" Altair sprinted towards Mohammad and I.

I could see the worry in his eyes, even from how far away we were. I smiled and slid the book from my belt, and dropped it beside the Assassin I'd saved. Mohammad's muscles were tensing, warning me that he was about to toss me off of the cliff and into the sea.

But as he let go, I grabbed hold of him. "If I go," I told him, "I am taking you with me!"

Before he could react, we were plummeting towards the water. Mohammad screamed, but I embraced it. I knew death was coming, but death was something I was not afraid of. I had never been.

"_SUNA_!" I heard as we hit the water.

We plunged underneath the sea, the waves tossing us around like a feather in the wind. The salt stung my wound horribly, and my eyes, but even with my eyes opened under the water, I could not know which way was skyward.

I eventually closed my eyes as my heart slowed. I brushed against Mohammad, and I knew he was dead. He had been struggling desperately against the waves, as he had never been one to merely _accept_.

But then, I felt hands grab my body, and I was being dragged upwards. Breaking the surface of the water, I heard panting and gagging. I knew the panting well. It was _Altair_.

Altair brought me to the beach and tried to shake the water out of my lungs, but it did not prove most effective. It wasn't a moment later that, even the behind the darkness of my closed eyes, I saw a golden light. It was so bright, I almost mistook it for the Afterlife, but I knew it was not.

I always thought that, if I died young, I would ask that my hidden blade be given to Darim, and my shortblade to Sef. I knew that they would have more use of them than I would.

"Suna, do not leave!" Altair said to me. I would have given anything to reply, but I could not muster the strength. "_I will not let you_!"


	8. The Apple of Eden

Chapter Seven:

The Apple of Eden

_**2012**_

I gasped and clenched my heart. For a moment—one, brief moment, I felt as if life had been taken from my body, and then returned. I steadied my breathing and glanced at Lucy and Rebecca, who, once deep in a conversation, were looking at me with uncertainty.

"The memory…" I released my heart and calmed down. "That's where it was corrupted?"

After a while, Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. Too bad; it was getting good."

"There's no doubt that the golden light your ancestor saw was the Apple," Lucy said. "I wonder… Could Altair really have saved Suna? The corrupted memory probably means he didn't, and that you have another ancestor ready for us to explore."

I looked down at my shoes. "Oh."

"Oh?" Rebecca repeated, and then patted me on the back. "Aren't you excited? We get to see another ancestor of yours!"

"But that means that Suna probably had a kid," I said. "I didn't know that. And Suna… I dunno. She just felt like she was close to me."

"Maybe she didn't want anyone to know, and practically erased it from her memory." Lucy smiled sadly. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Hey! Look at this!" Shaun exclaimed.

Rebecca, Lucy and I went over to Shaun's monitor, as Desmond was still in Baby. "What?" I asked.

"It looks like your next ancestor is in Renaissance, Italy," he said. "And, from the looks of things, fills-in the memory that Desmond can't access."

"Nice!" Rebecca grinned and clapped Shaun on the back. "I _knew_ there was a reason we still had you around!"

"Oh, haha," Shaun grumbled. "Very funny."

_**1475**_

___Many people are staring at me,_ I thought sourly as I walked past them, and then I shook my head. _I should blend into the crowd. I will stand out too much if I don't._

My brown hair was cut short, which was odd for women. But I needed it short—if it was too long, it would just get in my way. A silver shortblade was strapped to my back with a leather, similar to that of an Assassin nearly three-hundred years ago, and a hidden blade was attached to each of my arms. They both looked the same, with an intricate "A" facing away from my body, and the chamber for the blade facing towards. It was plated in silver steel, and looked like it had been made for a soldier. Of course, the silver sword at my hip and my liquid-gold eyes didn't exactly help me blend in if I was just strolling down the street. I had dressed like a man, with a white undershirt, a loose-fitting white shirt, with dark grey trousers that were loose enough for me to move comfortably in, and a red sash tied around my waist, its end fluttering every time I took a step. Brown boots completed my wardrobe, but they were flexible and durable, so I could easily run and jump in them.

I blended into the crowd, but even then I felt eyes on me. My frown deepened, but I did not stop walking. I eventually glanced into an alley and saw a boy my age, with tan skin, brown hair tied back with a red ribbon, and deep chocolate eyes. Other men in Noble's garb not unlike the boy's own surrounded him, and they all looked angry.

"Come on! Let's see if this idiota can actually fight!" one said to his friends, who all laughed.

"Four against one?" the boy said, smirking. "I admit, the odds are not in my favour."

"You probably cannot even fight!" the man said. "Your brother usually does your fighting for you!"

"But that does not mean I cannot fight," the boy replied. "Look, if you leave now, I will forget this ever happened."

The men laughed. "Puttata! Let's get him!"

I watched in fascination for a while as the boy handled them expertly, but then they started yelling and more men dressed as they were came after the boy.

"Get the Auditore bastard!" one yelled.

_Auditore?_ I smiled. _Thank God for convenience._

Before any more men showed up, I leaped into the air and kicked one in the side of the head, then elbowed another in the face. I ducked as someone punched at me, and then smashed his jaw with a strong upper-cut.

Eventually, I was back-to-back with the young Auditore. From the damage I had done, I had drawn a bit too much attention to myself.

"Get the boys!" they roared.

My eye twitched. That was something I absolutely despised, no matter where I went. I smashed two in the face with my fist and then spun around, lifting my leg over the crouching Auditore and catching one of his many assailants by surprise as he met my boot and slammed into the brick wall.

"I am a _woman_!" I snapped angrily.

The men, almost as if in a daze, backed away. "Bitch! You'll pay for that!"

"I'd love to see you try!" I chided.

Behind me, the boy's throat cleared. "Erm… What is your name?" the boy asked.

"Sofia d'Alviano."

"Piacere, Sofia. I am Ezio. Ezio Auditore." He lowered his fists. "We better run now!"

I ducked as I heard something I was all-too-familiar with. A sword cut just above my head, and I knew then that it was lucky Ezio had warned me. "Grazie, Ezio. But I do not run."

As the sword came for me again, I blocked it with my shortblade. I locked the blades and glared at the man holding the sword.

"You dare to draw a weapon in a fistfight?" I spun my blade expertly and forced the sword out of his hand, then caught it from the air. "You, my friend, are a dog!"

The man quickly backed away, and the turned and ran. His friends followed quickly.

"I could have handled them," Ezio said.

I smirked and chuckled slowly. "I am sure you could, Auditore. I just happened to be in the neighbourhood." I slid my shortblade into the sheath on my back, and I guess that was when Ezio noticed my weapons.

"You are… very well-armed," he commented.

"Really?" I asked. "Well, I recently lost a weapon that I liked, but I guess I still look quite dangerous."

"Especially the way you conceal your gender," Ezio remarked.

I scowled and crossed my arms. "I am not concealing anything."

"Then why those clothes?"

"Why must I wear I dress?" I asked him. "You would not like it if you were told to be in a dress for the rest of your life. Besides, the breeze is uncomfortable."

Ezio laughed at me, which only made me scowl deeper. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away when I heard him through his uncontrolled laughter.

"Aspetta! Please! I am sorry!" he managed through gasps of laughter. "It's just… I have never heard a woman speak of a dress in that fashion! I only ever hear about the new dresses coming, not the breeze!"

"And you will stop thinking about it before I do any harm to you, Auditore!" I threatened.

Ezio managed to contain his laughter and started to walk with me out of the alley. "Where are you going?"

I smiled. "Somewhere."

"You aren't easy to talk to," Ezio said.

I shrugged. "But it is fun to confuse people about me," I told him. "One moment, I am fun, and the next I am trying to kill them."

"I hope not!" Ezio replied, smiling. "The ironic thing is that I cannot tell if you are truly joking or not!"

"Then it is working!" I smiled. "This is where we part ways for now. I suggest you get home before those men try to find you again."

Ezio grinned. "They will not come again tonight. They need to lick the wounds you gave them!"

I noticed I was still holding that man's sword, and so I tossed it in the air and caught it by the blade, then held it out to Ezio. "Still, it would be best if you were better protected, Auditore."

"Please," Ezio said as he took the sword from my grasp as carefully as he could, "don't call me 'Auditore'. My name is Ezio."

I nodded. "I will think on it."

Ezio bowed and tried to kiss my hand, but I had it in his hair and quickly messed it up before he knew what was going on. When he finally did realize, I took my hand and ran off.

"I will be closer than you think, Auditore!" I yelled to him as I sprinted away.

Still, behind me, I heard Ezio cry, "_Aspetta_!"


	9. The Renaissance

Chapter Eight:

The Renaissance

_**1475**_

__Giovanni Auditore met me at the door, an almost surprised look crossing his serious face.

Before he could say anything, I quickly bowed. "Messer Auditore, my name is Sofia d'Alviano. My mother told you sixteen years ago that I would be coming to stay, as a favour."

Recognition quickly crossed his face. "Ah, yes. My old colleague. Sofia, was it?" He bowed in return and then ushered me into the Palazzo Auditore. "Welcome to my home, Sofia. It is very nice that you can finally join us."

"And it is nice to finally be here," I replied swiftly. "But I can only stay for a few months. I have much business to attend to."

"Business?" Giovanni repeated.

"Which reminds me; I have many things that I need to discuss with you as well, Messer Auditore."

"What kind of things?" he asked suspiciously. We stopped by the door, and I held up one of my bracers. Just a glance at the symbol told Giovanni all he needed to know. "Ah," he said. "Very well, but it shall have to be discussed after supper. Maria and my children must meet you, as you are a family friend."

"I will be honoured to meet them," I said.

Giovanni suddenly smiled. "But Maria would _never_ allow you to sit at the table in _those_ clothes, with _those_ weapons."

I looked at Giovanni in horror. "You don't mean…?"

He nodded, and confirmed my worst fears.

Later that night, Maria had forced me into a dress. I was sure that the older woman was going to bring out a knife and force me into it, the way I was fiercely objecting and constantly complaining, but threatening to rip my shirt and trousers apart until they were smaller than the eye could see immediately had me at her will. Unfortunately, she had even gone so far as to do my hair.

"This is not hair!" she said at one point. "This is a matted mess!"

"Grazie, Maria," I said sarcastically.

"Why chop it off to a point where I can barely do a thing to it?" she continued relentlessly.

I rolled my eyes. "It is only at my shoulders! If it wasn't for the fact that I've been travelling for so long, I'd have probably cut it until it was at my ears!"

"Impossible…" she muttered. "But, I must admit that this is definitely the most excitement I've had in a while."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Claudia never allows me near her hair anymore," she replied. "She knows how to do it herself. You, on the other hand, seem to be a causa persa."

I laughed. "A lost cause, am I?"

"Very much so, seeing as I have done the best I could with you." She allowed me to look in the mirror, and the emotion that crossed my face was confusion. I did not recognize the person sitting in front of Maria Auditore, even though the golden eyes were distinctive. Brown hair was framed neatly around a thin, but sharp face, and fell in gentle curls at the back. "Have you never had your hair done?" Maria asked after the initial shock had passed. "You seem… well, in all honesty it looks like you don't recognize yourself."

I nodded. "That was on my mind exactly," I told her. "No, I've never had time for those kinds of things. I've been far too busy working."

"At your age? It must be hard, Sofia!" Maria smiled. "But, though I've just met you, I know that you'll succeed."

I bowed my head. "Grazie, signora."

"Please, you only need to call me Maria."

_**2012**_

__I stretched gratefully as I climbed out of Baby. Lucy came into the spare room then and smiled at me.

"How does it feel?" she asked.

"It feels like I'm still with Suna, actually," I replied.

Lucy chuckled and shook her head. "I mean being out of there. I mean, Desmond was who I was worried about, but you're pushing it. Big time."

I shrugged. "I've been in the dark for two years; and since you helped me, I said I'd help you. I'm sure that Sofia is gonna have an encounter with the Apple sooner or later."

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Fate seems to like to link my family and Desmond's family together." I sat back in the Animus. "Put me back in."

"You need to eat first. You're starving yourself, and there're bags under your eyes," Lucy said. "Come to the main room. I was actually just coming to get you."

Reluctantly, I got out of Baby and followed her. I admit, the Bleeding Effect was starting to screw with me, since I would jump out of the way of a charging horseman and then realize it didn't exist, and I would walk into a wall as I tried to avoid a few armoured men, making Lucy give me a "look", but overall it wasn't that bad.

Desmond was out of a session and eating with Shaun and Rebecca when he saw Lucy and I.

"Sam! Lucy!" he exclaimed. "Guess what? Some of that early memory of Ezio's came through! He met someone named—!"

"Sofia d'Alviano," I cut-in. "I just finished a part of that memory."

"Really?" Rebecca leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands behind her head. "Hm. I've never heard of that happening."

"Whatever the case, Sofia and Ezio are linked together, just like Altair and Suna," Shaun said. "That must mean that Suna either lived, and the memory is corrupted, or died, and happened to have had a child, though that's far-fetched."

"Stranger things've happened," I remarked as I sat to eat with them. "Not like there's much we can do about it."

_**1475**_

__"All of my children seem to be late," Giovanni said, smiling weakly. "I apologize, Sofia. I had hoped you would get to know them over a meal."

Maria smiled at her husband. "I am sure they will come soon. What could all of them be doing at this time of night?"

I would nod in agreement and make conversation with the two Auditores, and debate with both Maria and Giovanni about certain issues in Florence, but it was all very friendly. When supper finished, I received Maria's permission to get back into my regular clothing and undo my hair. It seemed more wavy now that it had been in the same position for a while, but I liked that it didn't stick to my head as much anymore.

I was about to leave when Giovanni stopped me. "Our business will have to wait then?"

I nodded. "I am going to find your children."

"Be careful. The streets of Florence may be well-guarded, but not everything can be stopped by the guards," Giovanni cautioned me.

I smiled. "I am not a guard, Messer Auditore."

"That you are not." Giovanni bowed his head. "Safety and peace, Sofia."

"Safety and peace, Giovanni."

I set out into the streets, searching for any sign of the three Auditores. I knew that there was a fourth, Petruccio Auditore, but he had been too ill to come to supper, and I had yet to meet him. The three other Auditores, namely Federico, Ezio and Claudia, were out somewhere in Florence.

It didn't take long for me to find them, either. I recognized some of the men that had assaulted Ezio earlier, and they were holding an enraged girl that I immediately assumed was Claudia Auditore. Her brothers, one I recognized as Ezio and the other I decided was Federico, were already fighting the waves of men furiously, the sword I gave Ezio on Federico's belt. I saw some start to draw weapons, and that's when Federico drew the blade.

"Leave my family alone!" he roared, and lunged at one of the men.

Federico held his own, parrying and blocking, but I could see the holes in his defence. I drew the silver longsword and my hip and whistled.

Many turned to look at me, but it was Ezio who reacted first. I tossed the blade into the air and he caught it, just making it in time to defend himself.

"That's the one!" one man yelled.

I immediately recognized him as the man whose sword was now in Federico's hands. "You again? How many times must I beat you to get the message through your thick skull?"

I drew my shortblade and blocked the incoming assault. The men abandoned Claudia and her brothers quickly went to her side. I faced the onslaught of men alone, doing my best to stay ahead of them.

But I made a mistake and they knocked the shortblade from my hands. Just as a sword was about to slice into my head, I activated both my hidden blades and criss-crossed them above my head, blocking the strike. Quickly as I could, I knocked the blade away and stabbed him in the abdomen, and then jumped towards another man, stabbing him in the neck while my other blade sunk into another's skull. Soon, they realized they were outmatched and ran, screaming for the guards.

I retracted my hidden blades and stomped on the hilt of my shortblade. It launched into the air, and I caught it. It had no blood on it, so I quickly returned it to the scabbard on my back. Some of the men at my feet were groaning, telling me that they were still alive.

I shook my head. "Idioti." I looked to Ezio, Federico and Claudia, my face betraying more concern than I had wanted. "Are you three all right?"

Out of all of the speechless Auditore children, it was Ezio who nodded. "They… They got my sister while she was coming home. I went to help, and Federico was already there, but…"

"Capisco," I said. "You do not have to explain to me. You should just get home quickly."

I walked over to Claudia and helped her get to her feet. She was most likely in shock at what had just happened. Ezio handed me my longsword back.

"I probably would have gotten my face cut if it weren't for you," he said, smiling.

I shrugged. "Who knows? It may still happen, knowing _your_ luck."

I held out my hand to Federico, and he handed the sword to me. The man still breathing, the one who the sword belonged to, was begging quietly.

"You want your sword back?" I asked. He didn't respond, so I made a decision and stabbed it into him, stopping his breath. "There you go. Requiescat in pace, for what it is worth."

"That was cruel!" I turned to see Claudia, and every move she made was angered. "How could you do that to a dying man?"

"Is it cruel?" I asked. "He was dying slowly. The wound on his throat wasn't bleeding very fast, which means he might have been developing a throat infection of some sort. He was in great pain. What I did was merciful, and I do not regret it."

"He could have been saved!" she replied hotly.

Federico put a hand on his younger sister's shoulder. "No, he couldn't. This young man just delivered him an act of mercy. Look at where the sword is positioned; it was meant for an instant kill. He knows how to wield a blade."

My eye twitched as I saw Ezio laughing. "I. Am. A. _Woman_."

Federico quickly snapped to attention. "S-Scusa!"

"Even _I_ could tell, idiota!" Claudia snapped. "Sometimes I do not get why women find you and Ezio so 'charming'."

"Ah, so your friends find us charming, eh?" Federico said slyly. I'd guessed that he'd already forgotten about what had just happened.

While the boys were distracted by Claudia's yelling and scolding, I picked up the bodies and hid them in a haystack not far away, and then disposed of the weapons. I even had time to clean my hidden blades of blood.

When they had finished, they looked around and saw that everything was clean. "What did we miss…?" Ezio asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just get you back to the Palazzo Auditore, okay?"

Federico slapped his forehead. "Ah! Si! I remember! We were supposed to meet father's old colleague's daughter today! We have completely missed her!" Federico pretended to swoon as I rolled my eyes. "I fear she may already have gone to bed…"

Claudia and I shook our heads while Ezio laughed. Despite our earlier conflict, Claudia was much kinder to me on the way back to the Palazzo Auditore. She said that she couldn't believe how fast I was when fighting; that it had looked like I was merely a blur.

"The benefit of years of practice," I told her. "In time, you could learn too."

Claudia imitated my movements sloppily, mostly because of the encumbrance of her dress, and smiled. "How did you do that? Kill them with your wrists, I mean!"

I smiled. "It is a secret."

Claudia proceeded to ask me an endless amount of questions, and by the time we reached the Palazzo Auditore, I felt like smashing my head against a wall. Her eagerness to learn was admirable, but she was too pushy.

Giovanni was waiting for us at the gates of the Palazzo. Claudia ran to him and jumped into his arms, and he held her there for a time before he even so much as acknowledged us.

"Ah, you have returned my children to my home," Giovanni said. "I am in your debt."

"It was no trouble," I told him. "They had just gotten a bit carried-away with star-gazing. I even joined them for a time."

"Star-gazing?" Ezio repeated. I jabbed his ribs with my elbow, but Giovanni didn't seem to notice. "I-I mean, si! We were trying to find the Orsa Maggiore!"

"Very good," Giovanni said. "Now, go get something to eat. You can head to bed, or visit with Sofia."

"Ah, so _that_ is the mystery girl's name!" Federico exclaimed. "I think I will visit her and, '_charm'_ her with my superior looks! And by superior, I mean better than Ezio."

Ezio was laughing, because he knew the insult was about to be turned around. I brushed past Federico roughly and entered the Palazzo.

"Hey! What is she doing?" Federico asked his father. "Why are you letting her in?"

Ezio clapped his elder brother on the back. "Molto liscia, brother. Can you charm your way out of an angry woman?"

"Io non capisco…" Federico muttered.

"You don't get it?" Claudia repeated, and then laughed. "That girl there is Sofia d'Alviano. Your '_mystery girl_', idiota!"

"Oh mio dio!" the eldest Auditore exclaimed. "She is going to _kill_ me!"

Ezio laughed. "I think, 'oh my God' _are_ the right words for that," he said. "Pray that she does not come at you with those weapons tonight."

"Maybe I will pray she does!"

_Don't count on it,_ was my only thought.

The next morning, I dressed back into my normal clothing and trudged down the steps to the table for breakfast. I was usually an early riser, but I decided that my late nights in Spain were finally taking their toll.

_I will have to get to bed earlier tonight,_ I decided. _I do not want to fall asleep on the battlefield._

I had to remember to get my stash of Assassin's garb from the well not far from the Palazzo Auditore. I knew the city, and since it had not changed much, I knew that no one paid much attention to that well.

Claudia was sitting at the table, already fully dressed and ready for the day. My hair was still in a mess, but other than that I looked almost as ready… as far as being me went.

"You're up early," Claudia greeted.

"I am?" I looked at the clock that was in the dining room and realized it was about seven in the morning. "I must have read the sun wrong. I thought I was up later than usual."

"Well, you weren't." Claudia studied me for a moment as I sat down and started to nibble quietly on some bread. "Can you teach me?"

"Teach you what?" I asked.

"How to fight like you! If I knew how to fight like you do, then those men would not have caught me so easily! I could have helped my brothers and defended myself!"

I glanced at Claudia and smiled sympathetically. "You do not become as good as I am by merely 'learning'. You must also 'do'. That means you must be ready to kill."

"Have you… killed many people?" Claudia asked.

After a few seconds, I nodded. "Si."

"How many?"

I chuckled. "I have lost count. Too many have fallen to my blades during my lifetime."

Claudia's expression became a serious one. "Please, teach me!"

"I am only here for a few months. I cannot teach you very much in that timespan."

"Then as much as you can!" I could see the stubbornness in Claudia's eyes. "Something is better than nothing, is it not?"

I nodded. "In that, you are correct." I saw Giovanni, and from the way he looked at me I could tell it was time we had that "talk". I smiled and got up, and was following Giovanni out the door when I looked back at Claudia and mouthed, "We start tomorrow, Claudia Auditore."


	10. Memories Within Memories

Chapter Nine:

Memories Within Memories

_**2012**_

"Wow! Your sessions are going by fast!" Rebecca exclaimed. "I wonder if the Bleeding Effect works on you too?"

I tilted my head. "Why? I had those skills before, and I'm sure I can use them now."

"Maybe you and Lucy should train together sometime," Rebecca suggested.

I shrugged. If Lucy wanted to spar with me, then she was more than welcome. _I'm still trying to get my memory back…_

"By the way, Sam," Shaun said, "I got a report in from the Assassins we sent to check on your brothers. They're safe."

I sighed in relief. "Thank God…"

"We've taken them to a hideout in America so they stay that way," Shaun continued. "And there's a message. From your brother."

I practically shoved Shaun off of his stool as I checked the message.

_Sam,_

_ Tyler and I are fine. The guys you sent for us helped us out of a pretty sticky situation. Who are they? And who were the ones after you?_

_ We've been told that your fine, but I'm not so sure. If you're reading this, I want you to send a message back, containing something only I would know. I'm pretty sure that, after the stuff we've been through, you won't say no. _

_ Miss you, sis. Stay outta trouble._

Ryan

I quickly wrote a reply, and explained (in great detail) how I kicked Steven's ass when he tried to come onto me. Shaun was reading the e-mail over my shoulder, and every time I would write what I did, he would cringe and then glance at me, probably because of the things I'd threatened to do to Steven's manhood. Ryan, I knew, wouldn't forget something like that any time soon.

"Finished?" Shaun finally asked.

"Yep." I relinquished the computer to Shaun and quickly went back to the Animus.

"We managed to unlock one of the corrupted memories," Rebecca told me. "It's well-after when Suna killed Mohammad. And we also got some more information on you, my memory-absent friend!"

I frowned but checked Rebecca's monitor. There was an encrypted file that was nearly impossible to bypass, but some of it had opened.

"You appeared totally out of the blue nearly four years ago," Rebecca said. "The Grandmaster of the Assassins made you the fourth almost immediately, after you had a private 'talk' with him."

"It sounds like the talk that Sofia was gonna give to Giovanni…" I thought aloud. "Something… doesn't feel right."

"You're tellin' me." Rebecca brought up another file. "If I put this in Baby right, then that means you can replay the memory we just got!"

"Great. So, now?"

Rebecca nodded. "If that's whatcha want!"

_**1227**_

__I was sitting on my knees in front of the graves. There were three; two of them recently dug. The other one had been laid to rest two years ago.

_I… I was too late…_ Tears had never been something I showed, and if they did fall, I wiped them away as quickly as possible. But not now. Now, I realized, was time for them. How else could I show my misery, my grief, without slaughtering everyone I saw?

My hand touched one of the graves. The stone was cold to the touch, but strong. It would stand for many years. My tears fell to the dirt and were soaked up by the Earth, just like their bodies were now. My hand clenched into a fist as I remembered how slow I had been, how I had listened to my orders _too_ well, when I knew I should have trusted my instincts and defied them. My shoulders shook more as I tried to slow the tears, but eventually I gave up and let my hand fall from the gravestone.

"You… came…?"

I did not expect to hear his voice. I had waited until all visitors had left—well into the night, but here he was.

I nodded slowly. "Too late, it seems."

"Not too late," he said as he came to kneel beside me. "I know that they appreciate you are here now."

I shut my eyes and saw each happy—now painful—memory flash before my eyes. Malik showing me how to wield a shortblade; Maria, as strong as ever, wielding a blade into battle, and slaying her enemies so easily; Sef trying his best to beat me whenever we raced, but laughing whenever he lost, and always trying to best me in combat.

Another joined us. I had missed him terribly while I was away, and now I needed them both as much as they needed me.

"Why…?" I finally asked. "Why did they have to _die_? Sef, Maria, Malik… They were part of my family! I did not want them to die! I could have saved them!"

"It is not your fault!" Darim exclaimed. "Swami and Abbas did this! There was nothing you could have done!" Darim looked to his father. "We must take back Masyaf! This cannot go on!"

Altair, after a moment, shook his head. "No. Not now. Not when there is still so much to lose."

"But father—!"

"Darim," I cut-in, "Altair is right. There are too many things at stake. Taking back the fortress now would be a waste. We must wait and bide our time until the Assassins see the kind of Grandmaster Abbas really is."

"That may take longer than we think," Darim replied.

I nodded. "I am willing to wait. I cannot wait to sink my blade into his throat…"

I knew why Darim and Altair were looking at me strangely. Not once had I ever expressed that I wanted to kill, only that I would—for the people, and the Assassins. They knew I was serious.

"We will go to Alamut," Altair announced. "There, we will wait for the opportune moment to strike."

I nodded, and then took three flowers from my robe. "I just need to do one last thing." In silence, I placed each flower in front of each gravestone. "Farewell, Maria, my mother. Farewell, Malik, my teacher. Farewell, Sef, my brother. I will miss you all."

I was the first who stood up. My tears were gone, and the last of my resolve in place.

"Let's go," Altair said, "Darim, Suna."

I nodded and followed Altair, Darim beside me. We didn't look back.

_**2012**_

__"So Suna survived…" Shaun smiled. "Well, unless she had a daughter and named her after herself."

I scowled. "Idiot! It was obviously her! She called Sef her brother! Malik and Maria…" I shook my head. "I can't believe that they're dead…"

"Um, excuse me? All of them are dead," Shaun said. "It's been nearly a thousand years! No one could survive _that_ long!"

I nodded. "I guess you're right…"

"You _guess_? I'm insulted!"

"I wish we could know what happened when Mohammad attacked Suna…"

"Well, I'm sure that Rebecca can do it," Lucy said confidently. "Are you heading back in?"

"Definitely. I wanna see how Claudia can fight!"

_**1475**_

__"Now tell me, Claudia," I said as I watched Claudia attack the dummy, "which attack is most comfortable to you?"

Claudia slashed as fast as she could. "This one!"

"And most uncomfortable?"

Claudia quickly did an uppercut. "This!"

"Then here's what I want you to do; practice your most uncomfortable attack until it is on the level of your most comfortable. Also, use your left arm. You never know when you may need it."

Claudia nodded and hacked away at the dummy I'd set up. I had been given permission by Giovanni Auditore to teach Claudia the basics of using a blade, but just as long as I made sure she did not use it for anything other than self-defence.

"Sofia," Claudia said after a time, "if I may ask… how is it that you are so strong? You are only a few years older than I!" Claudia came to sit beside me on the bench. "And you are a great teacher, as if you have taught many more than me. And you smile, even though you have taken lives. How is this?"

I sighed and leaned my head against the wall, watching the clear blue sky and the clouds cross it. "I am strong because I know my weaknesses, I am alive because I am a fighter, I am wise because I have been foolish, and I laugh because I have known sadness." Claudia took in my words before I took her knife. "I think you are done for today. Get some rest and talk with your friends."

"Did you want to come?" Claudia asked.

I couldn't think of a good enough answer. I didn't want to hurt her feelings. And then I knew what my answer would be. "It will take too long for me to get into a dress…"

"You won't have to!" Claudia said. "I am sure they won't mind!"

Claudia grabbed my bracer and forcefully dragged me from the Palazzo Auditore, talking about all the things that she and her friends usually talk about. I smiled and tried to pry her grip from me gently, but she was like her mother in that manner; I just couldn't do it.

When we got to where her friends were, they all looked at me strangely, but I'd grown accustom to it.

"Claudia," one said, "who is your friend?"

"Sofia d'Alviano," I answered, ignoring the fact that she hadn't asked me.

"Sofia will be staying with me for a few months," Claudia explained. "Sofia, this is Daniella, Rosa, and Benita. They are all my friends!"

"Nice to meet you all," I said.

Benita rubbed her chin. "Sofia, how is it that you coloured your eyes?" she asked.

"I did not. Gold is my natural colour."

Daniella, the girl who had asked Claudia who I was in the first place, tucked her hands behind her back. "Claudia, is she related to you?"

"No," Claudia replied. "At least, padre never told me if she was. Something about Sofia being the daughter of a work colleague."

Rosa smiled, but eyed me suspiciously. "Erm… Sofia? Why are you dressed like a man? And… those weapons…"

"In my line of work, I need to do so," I said. "If you've any other questions about me, feel free to ask them now, because I am not going to answer them later." I said this because I could see where we were; a back alley. And there were several shadows approaching. "If not, why don't we head to a garden? I have not seen Firenze in full bloom yet."

The girls nodded and led me to one of the many gardens in Firenze. I hadn't lied to them, but getting out of that alley was intended to keep them all safe. I did not feel like getting more blood on my clothes.

"Claudia," I whispered at one point, "I have a special harness for that dagger. I want you to, in private, secure it around your thigh and slip the dagger into it. It will help you have it anywhere, without it being cumbersome."

As she took the dagger and harness from me, she whispered, "Grazie, Sofia. I owe you much for helping."

"You owe me nothing." _I was asked to help, no matter what the cost._


	11. Saviour of the Auditores

Chapter Ten:

The Saviour of the Auditores

_**1476**_

__I watched—from a distance—the exchange of words between Ezio Auditore and Vieri de' Pazzi before the latter drew his blade, calling the guards.

_Ezio suits his father's Assassin robes,_ I thought. Mario Auditore, the elder brother of Giovanni, seemed to think so as well.

"Ready?" he asked us in a hushed tone.

We nodded and readied our bows—or, in my case, my crossbow.

As the guards ran forward, we fired, getting them in the side or the back. I smiled as I watched them fall, and as Vieri started to look around wildly.

"What sorcery is this?" he cried.

Mario laughed at the boy. "Not sorcery, boy! Skill!"

Mario and the other Mercenaries leapt down from the concealed cliff we were standing on and started to attacked the remaining guards viciously. Ezio, after being thrown a blade from his uncle, joined in.

But I saw some guards break off and go for Maria and Claudia. I frowned and sprinted to them from the cliff, and when I got close enough I leapt off, burying my hidden blades into two of the guards just ahead of Maria and Claudia.

"You will not take the life of another Auditore today!" I yelled, and attacked them.

I fought with my hidden blades or my shortblade, chaining together my movements so they wouldn't have a moment of breath. _Stab one with the shortblade, and quickly spin to get one with my hidden blade in the throat, block, and counter-attack…_ This went through my head as if it were as natural as breathing, because to me, it was.

When I had finished them off, my Assassin robes were covered in blood. Some had accidentally gotten on my face too. I frowned, wondering why I was so messy all of a sudden. It used to be that I barely got a drop on me. _I will have to correct this soon,_ I decided. _More training with water, I guess._

"Maria, Claudia, are you two all right?" I asked.

Whereas Maria gave me no recognition whatsoever, Claudia flung herself into my arms.

"Sofia! Oh mio dio! I was worried when you left without saying good-bye!" she cried. I stiffened under her hold, but managed to pat her on the back.

"Ciao to you too, Claudia," I said, smiling weakly.

Claudia finally released me and looked me up and down. She had noticed the blood (obviously) and now, she was looking at my robes. They were similar to Giovanni's, in a way. It had the same loose hood, and the same designs on the robe, but it was obviously custom-made to be a feminine robe, as it fit to me better than Giovanni's to Ezio. I had no cape, as I didn't feel very much like hiding my hidden blade if the other was out in the open, and the ends of my robe were longer than Giovanni's, adding a Syrian look to it.

"Why… are you wearing those robes?" she asked.

I patted her on the shoulder. "Why do you think?"

Before Claudia could answer, Mario came and scooped her in a gigantic bear-hug, one I had been victim to as well. "Claudia! It has been far to long! Welcome to Monteriggioni!"

I used this as my chance to escape the Auditores for a moment and join my Mercenary friends. It hadn't taken long for me to convince them that anything they could do I could do better, and because of my show of skill they welcomed me and would treat me as anyone else in their party. We quickly compared kills, some whining that I had taken theirs, other triumphantly trying to impress. This would usually go on for several hours, but none other than Ezio took me away from it.

"Sofia?" he exclaimed as he dragged me away. "What are you doing? Here, I mean. At Monteriggioni."

"I am working," I replied, "obviously."

"You work with uncle Mario?"

"You could say that." I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I am sorry to hear about Giovanni and your brothers. They were like my family. I know what you must feel right now."

"How could you know how I feel?" he suddenly snapped. "They were hung in front of me, and I couldn't stop Alberti until now!"

I scowled. "Do not think that I am so ignorant, Auditore. I have lost many things, and many people that I cared for in this world. You still have your sister and your mother, not to mention your uncle. Me? My family died or were murdered, and my friends were taken into God's arms too soon! So do not think, Auditore, that I do not know how you feel, when I have lost so much more than you!"

Ezio stared at me in disbelief. This was the most I had ever told him of my past, and the fact was that I did not like to talk about it. Just saying that left a lump in my throat.

"Mi dispiace," he said. "I did not realize…"

"Then open your eyes and ears, Ezio Auditore. You are not the first person to lose the people you love, and you certainly will not be the last." To my relief, Claudia grabbed onto my wrist and forcefully dragged me into Monteriggioni, away (for the time being) from Ezio.

Later that night, Claudia and I were joining Mario for something to eat. His Mercenaries were mercilessly training Ezio, who wanted the skills to protect his family.

"You told him about it?" I asked at one point.

Mario looked up for his stew and stared at me for a bit. It took me a while to realize that he was chewing the meat. When he swallowed, he nodded.

"Si," he replied. "About Giovanni, about the Templars, everything."

"Everything?" I repeated.

It took Mario a moment to realize, and then he smiled. "No, not everything, it seems. I figured you'd want to tell him yourself, Sofia."

"Grazie, Mario, I did."

Claudia watched the exchange of words between us and then tilted her head. "What about father? And the Templars? Aren't they from the Crusades?"

I nodded. "Si, I will tell you about it, Claudia." I looked to Mario. "If your uncle does not object."

Mario shrugged. "By all means, Sofia."

"Then I will. After all, we have a few years to do so. I can train you more." I glared at Claudia. "You _have_ been keeping to your training, have you not?"

Claudia nodded quickly. "Si! Si!"

"Bene." I smiled.

_**2012**_

We stopped for a break shortly after Desmond had finished one of Ezio's memories. Something about Venice and a carnival.

"I'm pooped," Desmond said as he rested his head against the table.

"Ditto," was my "enthusiastic" reply. "I'm almost wishing it would go faster."

Desmond smiled. "We've got to get through this!"

"I would rather just crawl into a corner and die, but I guess I can be positive with you."

"Hey guys," Rebecca said from behind her computer, "you all right?"

"Just really tired," I told her. "I feel so drained."

"Same thing happened to me when I went into the Animus," Desmond said. "I just feel like I ran a mile, but I'm not panting."

"It happens," Rebecca said. "It'll pass, don't worry."

I nodded. "I hope you're right."

_**1478**_

__Ezio stabbed Francesco de' Pazzi, and after a brief exchange of words the older man died. Ezio spoke the words that his uncle and I had taught him, and closed Francesco's eyes.

"What do we do with the body?" he asked.

I looked over the edge of the tower. "Pass me a rope. The one beside you."

Ezio did as he was told and handed me the rope. I quickly tied it into a noose and undressed Francesco down to his undergarments and slung the noose around his neck.

"What are you doing?" Ezio asked.

I tied the end of the rope onto a piece of stone jutting from the tower. "You need to make your presence known, si? Well, this will give them a message. After all, this is the same place where Giovanni, Petruccio and Federico were hung, was it not?"

Ezio nodded sadly, and I shoved Francesco's body from the building. I heard the screams of the onlookers and the hooves of a horse escaping, no doubt Jacopo de' Pazzi fleeing from the sight of his dead nipote.

"And your message has been received very well, Ezio," I said, smiling and patting him on the shoulder. "Let's head back to Monteriggioni. Mario awaits to hear of our success."

"Sofia!" Ezio grabbed my arm to stop me from walking away. "I just wanted to say… mi dispiace. I had no right to explode at you like that two years ago."

I shook my head. "You had every right, Ezio. You just needed to vent. It is nothing."

"And… I wanted to ask what happened to your family… Why do you fight?"

I frowned. "A tale for another time, Auditore. Now hurry; guards will be up here soon to take Francesco's body down. Let's try to avoid conflict."


	12. Il Mentore to Some

Chapter Eleven:

Il Mentore to Some

_**1480**_

__I had decided to take a short break from killing, and that is why I travelled to Venezia. So, I did not hide my surprise very well when I found Ezio waiting in Antonio's office.

"Che diavolo?" I cursed. "Ezio, did you chase your enemies here for me to clean up?"

It took Ezio a moment to recognize me, as he had not seen me in two years and I was not wearing my Assassin's robe, but when he did, he smiled.

"Ciao, Sofia!" he said and quickly wrapped me in a hug. "I did not know you were here."

I frowned and managed to pull away from him. "Idiota. I came here for a vacation. I intentionally did not tell you where I was going!"

Rosa limped over to me, smiling. "Grazie, Sofia. It was lucky you came along to help my wounds."

"It was no problem," I replied, and then turned back to Ezio. "I heard you helped Rosa make it back here. Grazie. She is like my little sister."

Rosa frowned. "We are around the same age, Sofia."

"Still." When Rosa walked off, I sighed. "Ezio, how is your mother and sister?"

"Claudia is well. Uncle Mario still has her keeping track of Monteriggioni. Mother…" Ezio sighed as well. "She is still not speaking. I've been finding the feathers that Petruccio used to collect so that I may try to help. I do not know what else to do."

"Give it time; Maria is still in shock. I remember many nights when I had to hurry to her room to awaken her from bad dreams."

Ezio leaned against the doorway. "I… I did not know…"

"It does not matter." I brushed past him and sat in Antonio's chair, bringing my hands behind my head. "So, who have you come to kill now?"

"Emilio Barbarigo."

I nodded. "Ask around; the thieves here will most likely lend you a hand, their words, or their blades."

"You aren't going to?" Ezio asked.

I shook my head. "Auditore, I already told you: I am on vacation. I've been working for too long. I need a rest."

Ezio smiled and nodded his head. "Bene. I need to ask Rosa something anyway."

"Another time, Ezio."

_**2012**_

__"It just keeps skipping ahead…" I sighed. "Dammit. I don't know if Ezio and Sofia ever really made up… It's like reading a story, ya know?"

Shaun frowned. "Oh, what am I? Your private counsellor? Get back to the Animus! Desmond's almost finished with Ezio!"

I smiled. "Shaun, you're an ass."

"Thank-you. Now get!"

I smiled and went to find Rebecca. She was usually at her computer, but there was the odd time that she was somewhere else, and I could never find her.

"Yo, Sam!" Rebecca greeted from behind her monitor. "Ready to strap back into Baby?"

I nodded. "I guess so."

"Just one little thing I got to tell you before you go back in…" Rebecca stretched. "A few more memory nodes are being completely ignorant of my super-awesome computer skills, so we'll have to skip over a few years. We'll miss a bit, but I managed to do some digging and I found that from the time Ezio saved Rosa to the time that you'll be going, Sofia's barely done anything valuable. I also managed to see that she's distanced herself from Ezio, as if she was observing him. She helps, but it looks like she doesn't do it much, and when she does, Ezio rarely notices. From the looks of it, Sofia's hiding. But you're gonna find out why." Rebecca smiled. "Until I get those nodes unlocked, you'll have to cope as best you can, kiddo!"

"I think I can do that… But it's weird. Even though they were friendly at Antonio's, I could definitely feel some hostile vibes coming from Sofia… It was like she was angry at him."

"I'm sure it's nothing. She probably got over it."

I shook my head and laughed. "Yeah right! If there's one thing I know about my ancestor, it's that she can hold a hell of a grudge!"

"What makes you say that?" Rebecca asked.

"I can feel it."

_**1499**_

__"Sofia, I need you to stall the guards while I get Ezio from the Vault!" Mario ordered.

I pulled my hood over my face and nodded. As much as I didn't want to be too close to Ezio until I told him, Mario was the Grandmaster, and I had to obey his orders.

"Si, Mario," I said. "I will."

"Va bene. Now hurry!"

I turned quickly and stabbed my hidden blades into two of the many guards chasing us.

"Bring it on! Let's see what you can do!" I taunted the guards.

They obviously figured that, because there were so many of them, they could take me on easily. During the strangely quick fight I had with the guards, they managed to momentarily overcome me and one hit me hard in the head with a maul. I staggered backwards, but managed to dodge the next blows and kill the rest of the guards. I could feel the warm blood on my head soak through my hood, and before long some of my blood went onto my face and got in my right eye.

_I don't remember the last time I got hit this badly…_ I thought with a frown. _Those two had better hurry!_

As if they were guided by an ethereal power, Ezio and Mario quickly ran out of the doors of the Vatican and sprinted past me. I easily caught up, but the wound on my head was slowing me. It wasn't long after that an arrow just barely caught my left arm and reopened a wound that I had nearly forgotten.

"Cazzo!" I cursed.

Ezio looked back and saw me, wounded and slowing. "Sofia! Merda! Are you okay?"

"Keep running, Ezio!" I ordered. "Do not worry about me! I can handle myself!"

We finally lost the guards and made it to the Tiber. I could sense Ezio's hesitation as he held it above the river, getting ready to decide its fate. Mario took it from him and promised to return it once Ezio had made a decision of what to do with it. I nodded in approval; something that Mario caught me doing out of the corner of his good eye.

"Sofia, can you swim?" he asked.

I nodded. "I can sure as hell try."

Mario laughed and jumped into the Tiber with Ezio, and I quickly followed.

_**1500**_

__By the time we returned to Monteriggioni, it was already a new century. I did not regret missing New Year's, but it was a strange feeling. I was clutching my arm well behind Ezio and Mario, who were conversing. I did not like to show my weaknesses when others were around, no matter who it was. That was why I was upset about having to tell Ezio.

But it made me laugh to see Ezio panic when a cannonball landed near us. Mario quickly explained about the upgrades, but I was still laughing. Unfortunately, it made my head hurt too much. And Ezio noticed.

"Sofia, what happened to your head? Is that really your blood?" he asked.

I gritted my teeth. "I'm fine, Auditore. Do not worry about me."

"I _am_ worrying." Ezio fell back to ride beside me. "Let me see it. Maybe I—."

As he reached out for my hood, I jerked my head away from him and ushered my horse forward. "I said it's nothing! I can handle it!"

I rode into Monteriggioni without the two Auditores and managed to get inside the Villa Auditore without alarming anyone. Like Ezio, they probably thought it was someone else's blood. Except for the wound on my shoulder, at least.

"Sofia!" Claudia exclaimed brightly as ever. "You've come back!"

I nodded. "Mario forced me to come back. I was enjoying my vacation, too…"

"I've practiced!" she said, smiling. "I bet I could beat you now!"

"We'll see." I nodded to Maria, though the tiny motion almost made me double-over in pain. "Maria. It is nice to see you outside your room."

"And it is nice to see you again, Sofia." Maria inclined her head in a silent respect; something I seemed to get more of these days. "Where is my son?"

"With Mario. He'll be here soon." I started to climb the steps when Claudia grabbed my injured arm. I had been taken by surprise and cried out in pain as the flesh suddenly burned red-hot.

"Sofia! You're injured!"

"It's nothing!" I said. "Per favore, I can take care of it!" When Claudia hesitated, I quickly added, "Don't you want to meet your brother? He should be coming through the door soon."

Claudia nodded and went to the entrance of the Villa Auditore to stand with her mother. I went to my usual room and removed my armour and my robes, and stood there in the very same outfit that I had met Ezio in all those years ago. I quickly wrapped some bandages around the wound on my arm after stitching it up, and then cleaned the blood from my face and around the wound on my head.

"Cazzo… that maul hurt…" I muttered under my breath. "I just hope he felt the same pain he gave me when I stabbed that bastardo in the eye…" I heard a knock on my door and quickly wrapped a few bandages around my head. "Who is it?"

"It's Maria. May we talk, Sofia?" she asked.

I grabbed a towel and placed it over my head so my face was covered. "Si. Come in."

Maria came inside my room and shut the door gently behind her. When she saw the towel over my face, she sighed.

"Sofia, Giovanni told me about you before he died, just in case I needed to know," she admitted.

I smiled from under the towel. _Giovanni… It figures you would do such a thing, idiota._

"I am sorry about what has happened to you. The situation you are in is… unimaginable."

"Do not be sorry for me, Maria. I am sorry for it, and I should be the only one who is."

"Regardless, if you need someone to talk to, I am here." Maria sat on the bed next to me. "Which makes me wonder… Why haven't you told Ezio yet?"

I paused. "I guess it is because I am afraid."

"Of what? Mario knows. Giovanni knew."

"But you should have seen their faces." I shook my head. "I wish it was not this complicated. I could have just…" I sighed. "I do not know what I could have done. But the fact is that I am here now, and that is all that matters."

"Corretto." Maria made me sit on the floor so she could check the wound on my head. She unwrapped the bandages and studied it for a time before she sighed. "Maledizione, what happened?"

"A guard with a maul," I replied curtly.

She shook her head. "I can imagine you took care of him."

"I did. But not the one who got my arm. I'll get him soon enough though; I remember that bastardo's face."

Maria chuckled. "Sofia, did you have a nice vacation?"

I almost nodded, but then I remembered that Maria was checking my head. "Si, I did. It was a nice break from reality."

We stayed silent for a few more moments before Maria wrapped bandages around my head. "No trauma, and it looks like it will heal. But you will be bedridden for a while."

"I was afraid of that…" I grumbled. "But at least I will heal well."

"That is the most important thing." Maria crouched in front of me and grabbed my hands. "Listen to me, Sofia d'Alviano; you are doing an incredible job guarding this family, and I am sure that someone is _very_ proud of you. I am sure that _many_ people are proud of you."

I nodded slowly. "Grazie, Maria. It means a lot."

"No trouble at all."

"Oh, and I noticed something…" I smiled. "It was Caterina Sforza's carriage I saw when coming into Monteriggioni, was it not?"

Maria nodded. "Si."

"Please tell Ezio to refrain from waking me up tonight," I told Maria. "I am looking forward to sleep."

Maria smiled and left my room. I dipped the towel in a basin of water and then rested on my bed, placing the wet towel over my head. I would need a good sleep.


	13. There Was Only One

Chapter Twelve:

There Was Only One

_**2012**_

__I dizzily got up from Baby and looked around. I remembered where I was, and quickly stumbled out of the room and to where Rebecca, Shaun, Lucy and Desmond were. I was puzzled as to why they would take me out of the middle of a session. When I entered the room, I saw Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca packing frantically. Desmond was just coming out of his session.

"Templars!" Rebecca quickly explained. "They've found us! We're leaving!"

"How'd they find us?" I asked as I tried to focus on standing without swaying.

"Satellite," Lucy answered. "Now stop with the questions! We need to get the van packed!"

"Shaun and I can handle that," Rebecca said as she picked up two boxes at once. "You, Sam and Desmond should hold them off until we're ready!"

"Are you crazy?" I exclaimed. "We don't even know if the Bleeding Effect worked on me!"

"If it didn't, Desmond and I will protect you," Lucy said. "Let's move!"

Lucy tossed a hidden blade that looked strangely like Ezio's to Desmond. He slipped it on and quickly tested it out. When he was satisfied, we both ran down the ramp to where the Abstergo Templars had invaded.

"Shit!" I ducked underneath their weapons and shoved my wrist at their throats, but this time I had hidden blades, and they penetrated exactly where I'd aimed. Everything felt so natural and fluid. Practiced, yet improvised. I could see their moves before they even knew what they were doing.

And then a balding guy with a big white beard came through the damn wall. He talked to Desmond and told him to go back to Abstergo, to which Desmond refused, and then he berated Lucy. She, apparently, was his subordinate.

And then he looked at me, and smiled.

"So, this is where you ran off to, eh Miss Warner?" he asked.

"How do you know my name?" I snapped.

He shook his head. "Like I have the time to explain that here. If you come back with me, I'll answer all of your questions."

"Yeah, that's right up there on the, 'Here you go little girl! I have more candy in my car!' list."

"I'm sure you're confused about yourself, Miss Warner. After all, I would be too if I was led to believe I was someone I really wasn't."

"What the hell're you talking about?"

He laughed. "Come on, Miss Warner! School, track… those are things you could never have, no matter what you tried! Your past would always catch up with you!"

I frowned. "I know I'm an Assassin! That much I get! I know I've done things to piss you people off! And I'll tell you what; I'm not gonna stop! Not until the day I die!"

"Unfortunate." He waved his hand and more guards from Abstergo came. "Finish them!"

I killed every one that came into my path and made a path to the man in the white lab coat. He escaped when his guards were dead though.

"Let's go!" Lucy said. "We need to get outta here while we have the chance!"

After a second's hesitation, I nodded and followed both Lucy and Desmond to the van, where Desmond and I jumped into the back. Two Animi awaited us.

"This is gonna be a _long_ trip!" Rebecca said from the front. "You might as well complete a few sessions while we're at it."

I nodded. "Thanks."

_**1500**_

__I awoke to the sound of cannon fire and screaming. By the time I was dressed and armed, Claudia burst into my room. I was glad my hood was up.

"Monteriggioni is under attack!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "The Pope's forces are attacking us! Ezio is at one of the cannons now! We have to escape!"

I nodded. "You get to the Sanctuary. I'll follow. Hurry!"

We ran to the entrance of the Sanctuary, where people were flooding into. I frowned automatically as my head started to pound.

"Keep this in an orderly fashion!" I yelled above the screams. "Calm down! We do not want to leave anyone behind because they were pushed from the crowd! Please, listen!"

After a time, they started to calm down and hurried into the Sanctuary neatly. Many people hurried through, but it was Claudia, Maria and I who kept them all calm. Just as we entered, a thief tried to close the Sanctuary door. I pushed him from the lever.

"What are you doing? People are still coming! Ezio is not here yet!" I roared.

"If we do not close this door, then the people will die!" the thief argued.

I frowned and was about to say something to him when Ezio and the last of the civilians came through. Ezio had been shot twice, and it looked like it hurt.

"Hurry! Shut the door!" he ordered.

"Where's Uncle Mario?" Claudia asked.

Ezio's expression became a sad one. "He was killed. There's nothing we can do now. We have to move!"

I followed Ezio through the catacombs behind the large statue of Altair Ibn La'Ahad, keeping behind them so I could push Ezio if his wounds ever started to become incredibly painful.

I heard guards close behind us, and as we reached a gate I cut the rope with my hidden blade. The portcullis fell fast and stabbed one of the guards through the gut. A slow death for him.

Just as I whirled around to rejoin Ezio, I saw a strange flash before me, as if it was there, but not. I saw myself, dressed in strange clothing, looking right at me, as if it was a strange mirror. But as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and I hurried to Ezio, forgetting the strange vision.

"Ezio!" I exclaimed once we got outside. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Sofia, take my mother and sister to Firenze. I must go to Roma and put an end to this, once and for all."

"Go, my son," Maria said, "destroy our enemies, but remember for whom you fight."

Ezio nodded as he grabbed a horse and mounted. "I will see Machiavelli as soon as I reach Roma. Take care of them for me, Sofia."

"Io sulla mia vita."

We watched Ezio ride off before I whistled sharply, and a carriage pulled up beside us. I opened the door and motioned for Claudia and Maria to get in.

"This is Caterina Sforza's carriage…" Maria said.

I nodded. "I know she has been captured by the Borgia. I heard the people speak of it. She won't be using this for now."

As the two women climbed in, Claudia frowned at me. "Are we really going back to Firenze?"

I laughed and shut the door behind her. "Of course not! My orders come from the Grandmaster, and seeing that Mario has passed, Machiavelli is the only one entitled to give me orders. We're going to Roma, whether your brother likes it or not. We can help him for once."

_**2012**_

"Monteriggioni…" I muttered. "Wow. It looks just like back then…"

"Yeah. The Animus can really recreate this stuff pretty well," Desmond said. "We'd better head inside with everyone. I think they're finished moving everything into the Sanctuary."

I nodded. "I'm with you."

When we reached the Sanctuary, Rebecca took me to the side to talk. She looked a bit… I dunno, weirded-out.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. "Because Desmond told me that you zoned-out when you were with him and Lucy trying to get into the Sanctuary."

I nodded. "I'm fine. I just thought I saw something. It turned out to be nothing though. Just probably something from the Bleeding Effect. No biggie."

Rebecca smiled, even though I could tell she was worried about me. "Okay. I trust ya, kiddo."

"Why do you always call me kiddo?" I snapped.

"Because you're the youngest one here! Seniority rules, baby!" Rebecca cheered.

I smiled and gestured to her computer. "Well then; age before beauty."

She frowned and went to the monitor. "I walked right into that one…"

I couldn't help but smile.


	14. To Be Resurrected

Chapter Thirteen:

To Be Resurrected

_**1500**_

__"_You_ were the one who brought my mother and sister to Roma?" Ezio exclaimed, and then shook his head. "I should have known…"

"Ezio, they are worried about you. The least you could do is make sure they're close. They are safer that way. Take it from me when I say that if they are far away from you, you won't be able to protect them." I crossed my arms. "Besides, I wasn't able to drive the carriage all the way to Roma. Your mother nearly beat me to death trying to get me inside the carriage so I could sleep and allow my wounds to heal as best they could. She is a scary woman."

"Si, she is." Ezio rubbed his temples and then removed his hood. "Well, I knew that mother and Claudia would not stay out of this for long. Claudia… Well, I still do not think she should be running that brothel…"

I squeezed his shoulder. "Give it time. Your sister can handle herself better than you may think. I trained her, after all."

"But I have never seen her fight! What if something happens?"

"We Assassins do not hold onto, 'What ifs'. We listen to the 'What has'." I smiled, and with my hood up, it was the only thing Ezio could see. "You of all people should know that, Ezio Auditore."

"You can just call me 'Ezio'," he said. "There is no need to keep calling me by my last name or my full name. We have been good friends for many years."

I nodded. "Si, we have."

"I am glad you agree. But something troubles me…"

I tilted my head. "What is it?"

"You don't tell me a thing of your past, and yet you know all of mine. What troubles me is this; that you do not trust me."

I shook my head. "No, that is not it."

"Then tell me!"

"I do not think you are ready to hear it," I told him. "Your father was not, and neither was your uncle. I do not wish to make the same mistake."

"What do you mean? They both loved you!"

"Si, they did. And at the same time they hated me, because I deceived them. Because they claimed I was—!" I stopped there, not wanting to say anything more. "Ezio, just focus on finding La Volpe. I heard he was in the countryside of Roma, a few miles south of the Colosso."

"But—!"

"I said to go!" I snapped. "It's part of Machiavelli's orders. Just _go_."

After a few moments hesitation, Ezio inclined his head slightly and walked out of the Sanctuary on Tiber Island, pulling his hood up.

"We will continue this discussion later, Sofia," he said. "Whether I am ready, or not."

_**2012**_

__"Hell yeah!" I heard Rebecca cheer.

I looked at her over my burger. "What is it?"

"I've been working on some of Suna's memories. You know, the corrupted nodes. I managed to get a few hours worth of her memories after fighting Mohammad!"

I jumped up. "Awesome! I really hate drama, so instead of leaving me on a cliff-hanger, let's get to—!"

"There's someone coming into the Sanctuary!" Shaun suddenly exclaimed.

All of us quickly turned around and looked at the stairs. There would be absolutely no time to hide our operation, and no time to hide ourselves. I activated my hidden blades and waited, and saw Desmond do the same.

The man who walked down the stairs was tall, and wearing a black leather jacket with faded blue jeans. His hair was light, his eyes were dark, and his expression was… sad.

"Michael?" Lucy said. "Michael Ruth? Is that you?"

"Hey Lucy," he greeted, a weak smile finding his lips.

I took a step back as a few memories started to jump through my head. I remembered Michael from somewhere… And yet, it was still escaping me.

Lucy and Michael hugged. They were obviously old friends. "I can't believe it! I mean, I knew there was a chance some other Assassins would come to this hideout, but I never thought it would be you!"

"Mind introducing me to everyone?" he asked, his weak smile still on his face.

I could sense something about him was off. Something was making my heart pound in my chest, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through my veins and making me want to… I dunno. It had something to do with this guy, though.

"Sure!" Lucy gestured to all of us. "This is Rebecca Crane, our specialist. Shaun Hastings, our go-to-guy for information. And lastly, Desmond Miles and Samantha Warner, our newest Assassins. Well, if you can count Sam, since she's got a bit of a head injury…"

Michael was staring at me. I shifted slightly and allowed my hidden blades to return to their shafts. He was making me uncomfortable.

"Sam?" he repeated.

"You look…" He cleared his throat. "You're looking well."

I tilted my head. "Look, buddy, I don't remember you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a session to run. I need to find out what happened to my ancestor."

I jumped into Baby, completely ignoring Michael, and Rebecca patched me into the memory.

_**1203**_

__I gasped and grabbed my heart as it started beating frantically. I groaned at the pain in my arms, my legs, my head—everywhere. And yet, I could barely remember a thing. I remembered Mohammad and I falling from the cliff into the sea, Altair leaping in after us and rescuing me, and then a strange golden glow…

My gut started throbbing in pain. I held it and gritted my teeth, trying to remember my training to block it out. If there was ever a time I needed someone beside me, it would have been then.

That was when I realized that I was not on the sand where I had seen that glow. I was in my bed, my gut bandaged, my robes, harnesses and weapons on the writing desk not far from the bed.

_Did Altair bring me here…?_ I shook my head. _How could he? It would have taken almost half an hour to get back to the fortress. More so while carrying me. There is no way I could have survived…_ I sighed. _Maybe I am fortunate?_

It was then that Maria entered my room. I looked up at her, my eyes studying her somehow petrified face.

"Maria?" I asked.

Maria sat on my bed and held me close, burying her face into her shoulder. "Suna! Oh thank God! Thank God! Altair thought you were dead! I came to get your body myself!"

"My body…?"

Maria pulled away from me and studied my eyes sadly. "You were dead, Suna. You died before Altair got you to Masyaf. He put you on your bed and tried so hard to bring you back to life, but you weren't breathing." She wiped her eyes. Tears were something that was rare for Maria. "He just told me. He went to his study and told me you were dead; that Mohammad had killed you. He said he bandaged your wound so that Darim, Sef and I would not have to look upon it!"

I stared at her in disbelief. "I was… dead? And now…" I shook my head. "I-I have never heard of such a thing! If you die, you die! There is no way to come back!"

"But you _did_, Suna." Maria gripped my shoulder tightly. "Cherish the life that has been given back to you. Do not squander or waste it. Now come; we need to tell the others."

I slipped my robes and harnesses on, not to mention my belt and hidden blade, and also my sword and shortblade. I would not leave them behind. But as Maria and I were about to leave, I glanced in the mirror, and what I saw clenched at my heart for some reason.

"What is it?" Maria asked, and then noticed herself.

I traced around my eye and stared. "My… My eyes… They were never this colour…"

My eyes had changed from sapphire-blue to liquid-gold, just like the golden light I had seen on the beach by the cliff.


	15. The Quiet Before the Storm

Chapter Fourteen:

The Quiet Before the Storm

_** 2012**_

__I find, in my experience, that when you go to sleep, you like to stay asleep until your body is ready to get up. Unfortunately, I've never had much of those days, so when Michael Ruth woke me up while I was having a great sleep, I was pretty pissed.

"What's with the glare?" he asked.

"You woke me up, that's what." I sighed. "What d'you want?"

"I needed to talk." Michael sat beside me in the ruined Villa Auditore, in the room that Sofia had once used. It was the most undamaged. "I needed to talk about you."

"Let me just make this clear: I know I'm an Assassin, I know that I was the previous number four, and I know that I have ancestors who happen to like tagging along with Altair's family," I told him. "If there's anything else you want to add, be my guest."

Michael shifted on the bed slightly. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about earlier. I mistook you for someone else. It must have been your mother or something, or someone really closely related to you."

I tilted my head. "Huh?"

"It was thirteen years ago, when I was sixteen. I joined the Assassins in hopes that I'd get stronger. Glory was what had filled my head." He shook his head slowly. "And I was teamed-up with Samantha Warner, who looks exactly like you. But, from what I've seen of your ancestors, you all look alike. Anyway, Sam was a harsh teacher and liked to work alone. I learned that she got her orders from the Grandmaster of the Assassins, and only he could order her around. She wouldn't take any shit from the other Assassins, and at one point she almost killed me when I said that the Creed was too old to follow." He chuckled. "I think I nearly pissed myself when her hidden blades came out. I just had to look at her once, and I knew I could never catch up with her. Not in a million years.

"So, it was strange when I realised that I loved her. And after a while, we started a relationship. But a mission went bad, and I made a mistake. The last time I ever saw her was when she was driving the semi we'd stolen from the Templars. She looked at me and said, 'Safety and peace', and then she shoved me out of the semi just as we made it to a cliff. I hit the ground and rolled to the edge, but I didn't fall over. Sam… she went down with the semi. We spent weeks looking for her body, but the rest of the Assassins were convinced that the explosion that followed when the semi crashed wiped her out. There was a gigantic bomb in the back of that semi, and I was lucky to go without a scratch. I always thought that there was something the Assassins could do, but they didn't do a damn thing…"

"You make it sound like you hate the Assassins, but you're one." I glanced at him suspiciously. "Aren't you?"

Michael brought a rock around and slammed it into my head. I flipped onto the floor and tried to get back up, but I could feel the warm blood leaving the wound on my skull, and that made me too dizzy. Michael dropped the rock, and on his hand, I saw the Templar Seal, branded into his flesh.

"I was," he said, "but I realised that they could do nothing to help the world. The Templars are the real deal, and their power proves it." He kicked me in the stomach. "How does it feel to be powerless?"

I would have answered, but the darkness claimed me, and I was sucked into unconsciousness.

_**1500**_

__"Ezio…"

He looked up at me and smiled. "Salute, Sofia. Care to join me?"

I nodded and sat beside him. We stared at the water of the Tiber from the top of the hideout in Roma for a few moments, not even making a sound to disturb the night.

"So, I have been thinking about our conversation a few weeks ago…"

"And?" I asked.

Ezio sighed. "If you do not think I am ready to listen to what you have to say, then I will listen to your judgement. I only ask that you tell me soon. The Borgia are strong here, and even though I know my mission to destroy them, I cannot ensure that my own life will persevere."

"I will," I promised. "I swear this to you, Auditore."

Ezio smiled from under his hood. "Va bene. Now, how are those new recruits holding up?"

"They have all gone to sleep, and I assume that they will not be sneaking out adare godere delle meraviglie di Roma."

"I knew I was right to make you train them through drills!" Ezio exclaimed. "That will teach them to sneak out and come back during midday!"

"I think you need Assassins that aren't all male," I told him. "The women can keep the men in place."

Ezio nodded. "I suppose you are right. You kept _me_ in place."

"Of course I am right!" I snapped. "I am never wrong!"

"You assume too much, Sofia!" Ezio laughed. "You have been wrong about many things!"

"Non ho!"

"You have to!"

"Liar!"

Ezio covered his mouth to hide his smile. "You are too defensive, il mio amico."

"Spingere in su per il culo!"

"I will shove _nothing_ up my ass, thank-you very much!" Ezio sighed and rubbed his temples. "You'd better get to sleep. I will search the city for anyone else willing to join the Assassins." After a second, Ezio smiled and added, "Preferably a woman."

_**1504**_

__"I need you to do one last thing for me, Sofia," Maria said as I held her hand.

I nodded. "Anything, Maria. Just tell me."

"You must tell Ezio about you," she told me. "I am the last one who knows. Not even Machiavelli knows. Ezio must be the next. You have known him longer than I, and longer than anyone else you've known previously."

"Maria…"

"No, you must promise me this, il mio amico." She held my hand tighter, her usually warm skin now pale and cold as ice. "You must tell Ezio. You must tell my son. Tell Claudia as well, since you are her mentor. They will be afraid at first, but they know you, and they will understand and accept what has happened to you."

I hesitated. I _had_ promised Ezio I would tell him, but… Claudia as well?

"I will, Maria. I promised Ezio a few years ago that I would tell him. And now that Claudia is fully part of the Order, I will tell her as well."

"Grazie, Sofia. Now please; send for my children." She released my hand. "I can feel my time coming."

When I'd gotten Ezio and Claudia, they kneeled beside her bed and I leaned against the wall. Maria talked to her children and said how proud she was, and how she knew that their brothers and father would be proud as well.

"But now," she said, smiling, "I get to see them once more. Giovanni, Federico, and my little Petruccio. Do not think, my children, that I am leaving you behind. I am merely watching from a distance, ready to embrace you both once more when your time comes. I encourage you to live, my children, and live well."

"Safety and peace, madre," Ezio said.

"Safety and peace, my children. Sono orgoglioso di voi due."

Maria died that night. I consoled both Auditores, because I knew what it was like to lose family, and they both knew that.

_**2012**_

__"Shit! Michael, what the hell're you doing?" I heard Lucy yell.

I groaned and held my head in my hands. Warm blood found its way onto my fingers, and it looked like I'd been lying in a pool of it. There was so much blood everywhere…

I pushed myself to my feet painfully. I heard Lucy yell a few more times, and then I remembered: Michael Ruth knocked me out with the intention of killing me.

I hurried down to the Sanctuary and hid behind the banister as Michael held a gun to the other three Assassins in the Sanctuary.

"I haven't told the other Templars that you've been hiding here. I wanted to kill you all myself," Michael said. "I slipped-up when I told them about that warehouse, but now I'll get to kill more of the people responsible for Sam's death!"

"The Assassins aren't to blame! Sam sacrificed herself for you!" Lucy gritted her teeth. "I _knew_ that something was off about you when we saved you by the cliff!"

Michael cocked the gun. "Stop defending something you don't know!"

"I happen to be defending something I _do_ know!"

I watched in horror as Michael took aim, ready to fire at Lucy. I leapt over the banister and activated my hidden blades, and somehow my body took over as I roared, "_MICHAEL_!", and jumped into the air.

Stupid, I know. Michael side-stepped, and my hidden blades only scratched his arm. I landed and rolled forward, but came up as quickly as possible. However, I met the barrel of his gun, and Michael shot me in the chest. I fell back as I felt the bullet leave my body, and stared at the ceiling until my eyes rolled back into my head.

_**1507**_

__"Ezio, I need to talk to you."

The Grandmaster looked at me, his hood down. Over the years, I'd watched as Ezio grew older and wiser, and now those were starting to show on him.

"Sofia, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Can you get Claudia? I must speak with both of you."

Claudia came in only a few short minutes later. Her outfit, the one she wore as an Assassin, was so much like my mother's. It made me sad to see the girl I had trained so many years ago to become old.

"Ezio, you have asked me many times why I still keep secrets from you," I said. "And I told you honestly that I did not think you were ready. But after making promises to both you and your mother, and watching you grow after a few more years, I have decided that it is best if I tell you everything."

Ezio crossed his arms. "Are you certain, Sofia?"

"You have a right to your secrets," Claudia added.

"And some secrets are meant to be shared with friends… and family." I placed my index finger against my chin. "You may have noticed by now that my last name exactly the same as Bartolomeo's. In truth, many years ago, I grew to like it and took it for myself."

"What are you saying, Sofia?" Ezio asked.

"I am saying that I am not the daughter of your father's old work colleague," I told the two. "I have been an Assassin all of my life. I have travelled most of the world, searching for the descendants of the man who sent me on my quest, so that I may guide and protect them."

Claudia sat on Ezio's desk, staring at me. "I… do not understand."

"Who is the one who sent you on this 'quest'?" Ezio sat on the desk with his sister. "Is 'Sofia' even your real name?"

I shook my head. Hesitantly, my hands went to my hood. I hadn't ever taken it off in the presence of the Auditores, excluding Maria. I gripped the tip that was shaped like the beak of an eagle, my breath suddenly caught in my throat. But instead of backing down, I pushed the hood from my face and head, and let it fall to my shoulders.

Claudia's hands shot to her face so that she could attempt to cover the gasp escaping her lips. Ezio's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Sofia…" Claudia gasped.

I frowned. "I know this is hard to see, but your mother and father knew, and so did your uncle." I sat down in the chair opposite the desk. "I am not the daughter of one of your father's old work colleagues. To tell the truth, I _was_ his old work colleague, back when I knew him as Vanni Auditore, only a scant year before he met Maria. I knew them, and worked many times with Mario for the good of Tuscany, and aided Vanni when he was captured by the enemy." I sighed. "I was there for your birth, Ezio, and yours, Claudia, even Pertuccio's. It took me a few years to find Vanni again, since I had been in Spain, but I had to lie to him, and tell him that in sixteen years time, my daughter would visit and stay with him for her own good. But the night I agreed to train Claudia, I told him about me. A few weeks later, I told Mario, and Giovanni had told Maria. I did not tell you two because I believe you were not yet ready to hear my tale." I cleared my throat as they stared at my un-aged face, and the familiar liquid-gold eyes that they had become accustomed to seeing. "My name is Suna Ibn La'Ahad, and I am the adoptive daughter of Altair and Maria Ibn La'Ahad. On my life I have sworn to Altair that I would protect his family line, no matter what, because…" I held my head in my hands, not daring to look at the two. "Because I cannot die."


	16. Suna of the Shadow Step

Chapter Fifteen:

Suna of the Shadow-Step

_**2012**_

__I guess the Bleeding Effect worked in such a way that I could see if happening in front of me. So you can imagine how I reacted when I saw what Sofia—or, rather, Suna—had said to Ezio and Claudia. Actually, you probably can't. How can anyone react to that?

So I just stood up and opened my eyes, and stared sadly at Michael. I knew who I was, I knew what I was, and I knew why my heart had clenched when I saw him.

Because I knew it would kill me to have someone to love, when I could never die. When I could only watch them get older, while I never changed.

I put a hand over my chest, where the bullet had gone through, and felt the tears sting at my eyes.

"Michael…" I muttered. "I can't believe you would do this to the Order you once told me that you knew were the good guys. How proud you were that you could make something of yourself!"

Michael cocked the gun again. He seemed like he was shaking after he saw me get up, now that he knew how much blood I'd lost. "I don't know what you're talking about, I—."

"Michael," I said, "it's me. It's Sam. It's always been me."

He hesitated when he pointed the gun at me again. "I-I don't—."

I ran forward and stabbed him in the heart with my hidden blade. He choked, and his free hand grabbed my shoulder. I lowered him to the ground gently, the tears starting to fall.

He looked like he wanted to say something to me, but I blocked it out and closed his eyes as he died.

"Rest in peace, Michael," I whispered. "I loved you once, and now I know it was a mistake."

But still, I couldn't help but cry over him. Yet another person I had to watch grow old, and now he was killed by my blade, not as an Assassin, but a Templar.

"Sam?" I heard Rebecca say. "What're you talking about?"

I wiped my eyes as I felt Lucy's hand on my shoulder. I guess it had been a nice two years to forget the pressure I'd felt every day since Altair saved my life with the Apple, and now that it was rushing back, it almost felt like too much to handle.

I took the blade from Michael's heart and wiped it clean. "There's no more need to look for who I am, Shaun," I said. "I know. I know everything. So do me a favour and don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Excuse me, but I don't think you should be ordering me—!" Shaun stopped short when my hidden blade was pointed at his Adam's apple.

"I have every right to order you around. I've been around longer than you, and I know more than you ever will!" I retracted the blade and glared at him. "So don't you _dare_ go looking!"

"Sam, what the hell's gotten into you?" Desmond snapped.

"It must be the Bleeding Effect," Lucy observed.

I shook my head. "Wrong, Lucy. Yes, the Bleeding Effect _did_ work, in a sense. It helped me get my memories back. And now that they're back, I'm obviously different from the Sam you've known for the last few days." I crossed my arms. "That's only because my name isn't Sam—it's Suna."

"Suna? Sam, how about you don't name yourself after your ancestor, okay?" Shaun said.

I shot him a glare. "I'm not naming myself after myself. You want to know what power the Apple holds?" I spread my arms wide. "Here you go! It screws up your life and curses you! Check the nodes that were previously corrupted, Rebecca. Show them."

Rebecca looked at me strangely and then went to her computer. She saw that the nodes were all connected, and now uncorrupted. She motioned for everyone to join her, save for me, and they watched as the memories I'd witnessed while I was unconscious came forth.

At the end, Desmond looked from the monitor to me, while everyone else's eyes were glued to it. "Holy shit…"

"This means I can't call 'er 'kiddo' anymore…" Rebecca murmured.

"Oh, is that the only thing you're worried about? Because, last I checked, there was a woman from the Third Crusade standing in front of us, who was adopted by Altair!" Shaun exclaimed. "That's it. This thing just went _way_ over my head!"

"Desmond, get in the Animus," I ordered. "We're gonna find this Apple, no matter what!"

_**1203**_

__"S-Suna…" Altair hugged me tightly. He usually showed me as much affection as he did Darim and Sef, but this was out of character for him. I could have sworn he was close to tears.

I hugged him back. "Thank-you, Grandmaster. You saved my life."

Altair held me at arms length to take a look at me. "Suna, your eyes…"

"They have changed," I confirmed. "I think it might have to do with that golden light I saw."

"Wait a minute! 'Golden light'…?" Maria looked to Altair. "You didn't…?"

Altair looked from me to Maria. "I did what I thought was best. I—."

"You swore to me that you would not do anything with that!" Maria snapped. "What did you ask of it?"

"I asked it to keep Suna alive," he replied. "She is alive—it worked. I will never use it again Maria. I promise."

Maria frowned, but nodded. Darim and Sef came into Altair's study then, and beamed at me.

"Suna!" the boys exclaimed, and hugged me, though Darim only reached beneath my ribs and had his arms around my waist, and Sef was clinging to my leg.

"You're okay!" Darim said. "I was worried when Talal came screaming for father and Malik! I heard him say you were in trouble! What happened?"

"Darim, don't put your face in her gut!" Maria scolded. "She was wounded there!"

I tilted my head and then punched my gut as Darim moved his head. Everyone looked at me curiously, wondering why I'd done it.

"It does not hurt," I said. "It feels as if I just punched myself in the gut, but the wound is not there…"

"Strange…" Maria shot a glance at Altair, who shrugged helplessly, without an answer. "Suna, you should try to get some rest."

"Actually, I feel fine," I told them. "By the way, Grandmaster, did you get the book? I dropped it on the edge for a reason."

Altair smiled. "I grabbed it and tossed it at the Assassin you saved and ordered him to take it to the keep as I jumped after you. Do not do that again, okay? I can barely swim as it is."

"Practice, Grandmaster."

"And patience."

I nodded. "Maria, there was an Assassin that I wounded. Is he all right?"

"Yes, he is," she told me. "He came back to the keep and got medical attention, and told of what had transpired between Mohammad and yourself. He is to be disciplined for not following the orders of a superior and attacking a fellow Assassin."

"I should be punished for the latter as well," I said.

Maria shook her head. "No, Suna. He also explained that Mohammad attacked you, and it was self-defence."

I nodded. "One last thing, Maria, Grandmaster…"

"What is it?" Altair asked.

"Why do I have a nick-name?"

Altair smiled. "Because it fit you."

_**1507**_

__"You cannot die?" Ezio repeated.

I nodded. "There were times in my life when I truly desired death, and so I tried to kill myself. Drowning, stabbing… nothing worked. I had allowed my enemies to cut me down, and yet I lived on." I leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling, the memories seeping into my head. "Altair told the Apple that he wished to keep me alive, and so it did. And so it has. I believe that, until the Apple of Eden—the very one that Altair held—is destroyed, I will continue to live. And so I promised Altair to watch his descendants and guide them until that day came."

"I think I once heard Uncle Mario talk of Suna, but he called her Suna of the Shadow-Step, and didn't give a surname." Claudia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "He said that his great-grandfather Domenico Auditore once told him the story of an immortal Assassin, who was a guide for many Assassins. But he also said that our great-great-grandfather thought it to be a myth, as no one can live forever."

"And you should have seen his face when I told him to requiescat in pace…" I muttered. Ezio and Claudia looked at me strangely again, so I made a gesture. "What?"

"So… Suna?" Ezio cleared his throat. "You cannot die until the Apple is destroyed?"

"That's what I think," I told him. "And please, you know me as Sofia. You may continue to call me that."

Claudia looked thoughtful. "Once, Sofia, you said, 'I am strong because I know my weaknesses, I am alive because I am a fighter, I am wise because I have been foolish, and I laugh because I have known sadness.' I did not realize that you were speaking about not only your experiences, but you life itself. I always thought how strange it was for someone who was so young to be so wise."

"I am not very wise," I told the two Auditores. "If I were wise, I could have saved the people I loved, and the people I grew to love. Had I not left, I know that your father and brothers would still be alive."

"That was not your fault," Ezio said. "Some things happen for a reason. Sofia, the fact that you saved my mother and sister at Monteriggioni shows that you were meant to be _there_, and _not_ where you say you should have been."

I smiled. "Ezio Auditore… You have grown up from the rambunctious boy I rescued all those years ago. Well, not totally. You are still un donnaiolo."

"Here, here," Claudia agreed as Ezio's face turned red.

"What can I say? Is it really my fault that the opposite sex cannot resist my charms?" Ezio argued.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Federico Auditore's influence." I grinned. "Maybe I really _should_ have killed him in his sleep."

_**1247**_

__Smoke erupted from Altair's hand, but that was when I realised it had come from his hidden blade. Abbas looked down at his chest, which started to stain with his own blood. He fell to the ground, but Altair caught him and lowered him gently.

"I will never believe you!" Abbas spat. "My father did not kill himself!"

"The way to belief starts with understanding," Altair said to his rival. "You will see the truth, not in this life, but the next."

Altair looked at me, and saw the hatred on my face. I despised Abbas, and hoped that he would suffer, but his death seemed to be coming fast—too fast.

Altair rested Abbas' body on the ground, came over to me and squeezed my shoulder. "Sef, Maria and Malik can rest easy now. I know that they would not want a brother to suffer."

"_He_ was _not_ a brother!" I spat. "He was a _monster_, posing as one of us! Killing the ones we loved!"

"Suna…" Altair forced me to look at him. "Peace, my child. It is over. Rest easy, knowing that he can never harm anyone ever again."

After some hesitation, I nodded. "Yes, Grandmaster."

Altair spoke to the Assassins, telling them that he was retaking the Order, and it would be moved into a new era, where the Assassins would work more in the shadows, as the Templars started their rise to power. I could barely hear his words as I stared at the corpse of Abbas, hoping that, if there really was a deity, they would ensure Abbas would suffer for what he'd done to my family.

"Grandmaster," I said as his speech ended, "I would ask that you do not write of me in your Codex."

Altair tilted his head. "Why not, Suna?"

"Because I do not want to be known. I will stay hidden by the shadows until the time comes that I may strike freely with my blade."

Altair closed his eyes. "You wish to do some good for the Assassins, then?"

"Yes."

"Then I will ask you this, Suna: become my family's guardian, and watch over them. Be a guide and help them when possible, be a master and teach them what they need to know, and keep them alive." Altair opened his eyes and stared into mine. "Can you do this for me, daughter?"

"Become your personal agent?" I smirked. "Why not? I haven't anything better to do."

Altair grinned. "Thank-you, Suna."

"No, it is I who should be thanking _you_, Grandmaster. You saved my life twice, and it is only fair that I repay that debt." I hugged Altair, forgetting Abbas, forgetting about Sef, Maria and Malik, and just remembering the times when we were all together. "Thank-you, father."


	17. Sins of the Father

Chapter Sixteen:

Sins of the Father

_**2012**_

__"I've been reviewing her memory nodes," Rebecca whispered, thinking I was out of earshot (which made me roll my eyes), "and it seems like she's literally been saving Altair's descendants' asses! She's been in almost every major conflict that his family's ever had!"

"And now she's here with Desmond," Shaun observed. "And here I thought that things couldn't get any stranger. I guess that's what happens when you piss-off fate, or something like that."

I groaned and walked out of the Sanctuary, leaving the earpiece but taking the watch. I deftly climbed up the Villa and perched on the edge, where Ezio had when he was first mapping-out Monteriggioni.

"This would be so much easier if Desmond didn't have a damn e-mail. Now he has to come out to check it all the goddamn time…" I sighed. "Technology today… It was so much simpler when there were swords and bows, not these 'guns'. They're so troublesome."

"I think you just preferred it when you and Altair were the only ones with them," Lucy said.

I glanced back at her. "What do you want?"

"First, let me just say that I think I preferred you when you had memory loss," she said as she sat on the roof, her legs dangling off of the edge. "You were much nicer then. Second, I wanted to talk."

"What about?"

"About you, obviously." Lucy placed a box beside me; one that I'd just noticed she'd had. _I have to retrain my eyes it seems… _"What I don't get is why you didn't tell Ezio to destroy the Apple."

My eyes flickered to the box, but rested on Lucy. "I didn't tell him because I am not the one who decides what is to be destroyed and what can remain intact. If Ezio wanted to destroy it, he could have."

"Look, Sam—."

"_Suna_," I corrected.

"_Sam_," Lucy insisted. "Everyone here doesn't even have an inkling on how you feel because of what you've gone through. You should try to share your thoughts sometime. It could help."

"Very well; I have lived for nearly a thousand years, and I feel like crap. I killed the only man I ever allowed myself to love, and I have Assassins talking behind my back!" I frowned. "You aren't much of a counsellor."

"They're talking about you because they're worried about you," Lucy said. "We all are."

I shook my head. "No need. I've taken care of myself this long, I do it longer."

Lucy frowned. "Geez, Sam! You and your damned pride!" She handed me the box. "I asked some contacts of mine to get an outfit for you, since Desmond got some new clothes as well. I managed to get them to add a bit of the Third Crusade and Renaissance in there for you, but with a modern twist."

I opened the box and took out the Assassin robes. They seemed mostly dominant in the Third Crusade category, as they had the same design and flow as when I'd trained with Altair. However, the sleeves were a little looser and the hood was definitely part of the Renaissance category. And the modern twist was four black stripes on the robes that started where the small of my skull would be in the hood and extended downwards to each of the slits in the robe, until it discontinued at the corners.

"You look surprised," Lucy said.

"I like it," I told her. "I didn't expect it. Thanks."

Lucy smiled. "Sam, try not to act too much like Suna or Sofia. They were from different eras. You should act like you had only a few days ago."

My brow furrowed, but I didn't say anything. I put the robes back in the box and slipped off my hidden blade, putting them inside as well.

"I'll think about it," I told her. "There's still lots of stuff I have to sort through."

"I can only imagine." Lucy stood up as I did and followed me down into the Villa.

_She kind of reminds me of Maria Auditore…_ I thought with a frown. _She's definitely persistent. _

_**1204**_

__I grabbed onto the ledge and heaved myself up onto the roof, the sprinted to the edge and leaped off into a wagon of hay. I hid quietly as the guards walked by, my target just behind them. I quickly sprung out and grabbed him, and before he could scream I stabbed him and dragged him into the hiding spot. I hid the body in the corner and brought out the feather, smearing his blood on it, and then came out of the hiding spot.

_Another mission done, _I thought with a smirk. _Altair will need to hear of my progress, but first I must tell the Rafiq. Jabal will tell me if the Grandmaster has left on a mission._

I walked patiently to the Bureau, contemplating on what studies I had not yet mastered, and out of the corner of my eye I saw guards running past me. Curious, I followed them from a distance until we reached an execution platform, with three people tied to the poles. One of them was free, and I recognized him as a brother. He was fighting the guards, but he was already wounded.

I pushed through the crowd and jumped onto the platform, then stabbed two guards with my hidden blade and shortblade simultaneously. Their attention quickly switched to me, and I knew that with all my skill, I was outmatched.

"Run!" I ordered the Assassin.

He nodded and started to sprint away. It was lucky that he was wounded on his arm, else he'd be in trouble. After cutting the ropes of the three who were imprisoned on the stand, I killed three more guards before I ran for the ramparts and climbed onto a roof. They were close in pursuit.

"Kill the Assassin!" one screamed.

When I reached the edge, I grabbed three throwing knives and leaped off the roof, spinning around and throwing the knives at the guards following me. I hit my targets, and then continued to spin until I grabbed hold of a ledge on the other side. I climbed fast as the arrows narrowly missed me. I did not wish for a repeat of what had happened eleven years ago.

I ran again and then jumped off of the roof, then grabbed a ledge jutting out and lowered myself to the ground. I sprinted away and turned a corner sharply—.

And, unfortunately, ran right into a waiting blade.

It penetrated through my chest and into my back. The guard smiled when he saw the look of surprise and pain on my face, and then his brow furrowed.

"Wait… I remember you!" he said. "You are the little brat who stabbed me in Damascus! I came to Acre in hopes to find you… and _kill_ you!" He smiled. "What fortune I have!"

I gritted my teeth and activated my hidden blade, burying it into his gut. "I knew I had not killed you! I missed your vital organs! Now, I cannot miss!"

He looked down at the blade buried in his gut, and then back up to me. He released his sword and fell to the ground, dead, this time. Wisely, but painfully, I left the sword in my chest and ran as best I could to the Bureau. I climbed the ladder and dropped to the ground inside, grunting at the pain.

The Assassin I'd helped saw me on the ground and bleeding fiercely. "Master!" he cried.

"Get the Rafiq!" I ordered. "_Now_!"

The Assassin nodded and ran into the other room, frantically telling Jabal about me. Jabal, old as he was, hurried into the room and looked me over.

"My God…" he whispered.

"_Get_. _It_. _Out_," I pleaded.

Jabal nodded and quickly set to work. He grabbed several cloths and pressed them around where the sword had penetrated, cleaning. Then he quickly pulled the sword out from my body. I cried out in pain. Usually, I refused to show such weakness, but it was just too much for me this time. I let Jabal press the cloths on the wound and apply pressure, and he ordered the Assassin to get a basin of water.

When the Assassin returned, Jabal took the basin and told him to leave the Bureau. His services were no longer needed.

"Do not worry," Jabal told the Assassin, "she will be fine."

The Assassin nodded and climbed out of the Bureau. Jabal helped me stand and made me sit on a chair in the other room, then gave me the basin.

"Here," he said. "I drink some. Altair told me that water helps you heal faster."

I nodded. "My thanks, Rafiq."

"Altair told me that you rarely addressed anyone than by their status," Jabal said, smiling. "I did not believe him until I met you this year."

I smirked and drank a bit of water. "I guess this is a perk of getting saved by the Apple."

"It could be a perk," Jabal said, "or a curse."

"I know."

"You must decide what you are going to do with your life, now that it has been given back to you."

"I know." I smiled. "But I hate thinking of the future when the present stands before me."

_**1475**_

__"You are leaving then?" Giovanni asked.

I bowed my head. "Si. There are things I must do. Give my regards to everyone."

"Why don't you wait for them, and you can give them personally?"

I chuckled. "If I wait, I will miss my ferry. Venezia is my destination, but don't tell anyone. Especially Ezio."

Giovanni nodded. "Very well, mi amico. I wish you safety and peace on your journey."

"Safety and peace, Vanni. I await the next time we are reunited."

It strangely took a few weeks to get to Venezia, but when I finally arrived with my sack of clothes (and weapons) hanging over my shoulder, I knew that it was worth the wait.

_I have not been here in quite some time,_ I thought with a smile. _Last time I was here there was some scandal about a Nobleman and a courtesan… _

__A man on the docks waved at me. I waved back and went to meet him. He was a thin man, with a cape on his right arm and seemed to favour green clothes. He had a full moustache and long black hair.

"You must be Sofia d'Alviano!" he said. "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Antonio de Magianis. I am the one who requested your services."

"Piacere, Antonio." We inclined our heads to each other. "Have I arrived too late? Too early?"

"No, you have arrived on time," Antonio said. "Shall we discuss our business more openly at my headquarters?"

I nodded. "Lead the way."

Antonio and I walked to the very edge of the San Polo district until we reached an area totally untouched by the guards. I smiled at how peaceful it was. Antonio led me inside his headquarters and motioned to a corner where I could put my things.

"Now, to business!" he said. "There is a man in Venezia who has been stealing from the people, and spending all of their hard-earned money on finery and dinner parties! This must stop!"

I nodded. "His name?"

"Checo Moro," Antonio answered.

"When will he be hosting another one of these 'parties'?" I asked.

Antonio rubbed his chin. "I heard tell that he would be holding another one in two days time. Until then, since I can tell you are going to infiltrate his home, you should look for some finery that will help you get inside and blend with the crowd. I will help."

I smiled. "I am not modelling for you, Antonio. And I have my own money."

Antonio shrugged. "It was worth a shot."


	18. Poco Rosa

Chapter Seventeen:

Poco Rosa

_**1475**_

__"I think this looks best on you!" one of the girls said.

I tried my best to smile, as much as I absolutely _despised_ shopping for dresses. "Then this one it is!"

"No, I like the other one," one of the other girls said.

My eye twitched. "_Which_ one of the other ones? You've forced me to try every dress here!"

"Not all," the first girl said. "There's still some in the back."

I brought my hand up to my forehead and hit it in my agony.

"What was that? Why would you do that?" the proprietario asked.

"I call it a facepalm. I do it when I'm… distressed." I sighed. "I'll just take this one. Could you please pack it up for me while I change?"

The girls nodded, so I quickly got the dress off and changed into my clothes, putting my weapons in their respective places. I came out of the changeroom and paid the proprietario for the dress, and then carried it back to Antonio's.

"Antonio!" I called. "I'm back!"

Antonio came down the steps and saw the box in my hand. "Oh mio dio! You can pick your own dresses!"

"Please don't. It was a pain. The girls there thought one dress was better than the other and made me wear them over and over again." I sighed. "I have the maledizione dress. Now, I must wait for the party." I put the dress on the table in his office. "Che cosa un dolore…"

I went back outside and saw a young girl, probably fifteen, bump into Antonio. The idiota wasn't even paying attention as she took his coin purse. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, 'Maestro di Ladri' infatti…" I smiled and shook my head. "I'd better get that back for him."

The girl took off, sprinting through the district at an incredible pace, but I kept up with her by way of rooftops. When she slowed and found an alley to count Antonio's coins in, I dropped from the rooftops and landed behind her. Before she could react, I had her hands behind her back.

"Good pace," I told her, "but you need to work on where you hide."

"Let me go!" the girl ordered firmly. "I can fight you!"

"Fight me?" I chuckled. "Va bene. Let's see you fight!"

I released her hands. She spun around to face me, as if wary that I would grab her again. She looked at my weapons, so I smiled and let my sword fall to the ground, but tossed her my shortblade.

"Come. I'm better trained than I look, piccolo."

She weighed the shortblade in her hands, and then attacked me. I deflected each of her blows with the vambraces on my hidden blades, and quickly analyzed her movements.

"Stop using that move!" I scolded. "You're becoming too predictable!"

"Predict this!" She lunged at me, but when I believed she was going to stab me she tucked her arms and legs in and rolled past me. I twisted around just in time to deflect her attack away.

"Bravo!" I cheered. "But someone already attacked me like that. Otherwise, great work!" I kicked my shortblade out of her hands and then brought my leg around to connect with the side of her head, knocking her unconscious. "Sorry, but you kinda stole something…"

I put my sword back in its place and holstered the shortblade on my back, then picked up the coin purse the girl stole and tied it around my wrist.

"Might as well let you apologize to Antonio…" I said as I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder.

_**1204**_

__"Another successful mission, I assume?" Altair said from behind his desk.

I held up the bloody feather. "Yes, Grandmaster. My target can no longer take from the people."

Altair took the feather from me and placed it in the fire. "The Templars are becoming bolder. Every day, I have to ensure that Masyaf is still under our control."

"One day it won't be like this," I said. "One day, either the Assassins or the Templars will be more powerful. It will not always be like this."

"And if I get my way, the Assassins will be hiding in the shadows," Altair said.

I tilted my head. "Grandmaster?"

"I stand by what I've been saying for the past decade: the Assassins are too public. We may be known, yet unknown, but the Templars are better at hiding than we are, which is quite embarrassing." Altair leaned onto his desk. "Even after all I've done, we're still too public. So far, the work you've been doing, Suna, is extremely good for us."

"You were the one who came up with attacking from hiding spots," I pointed out.

"And yet, you're the one who embraced it. Still, our brothers and sisters are wary of this new approach."

I held up a hand. "Grandmaster, they will come around to it in time. You must understand that it is hard to adjust when they've been taught something completely different for the latter of their lives."

Altair nodded. "I suppose you are right. Sometimes, it is hard for myself."

"I can only imagine."

_**1475**_

__"I have the poco thief who stole your coin purse, Antonio," I said as I sat her down on a chair in his office, and then handed him the coin purse. "But you are a maestro at knowing when people will pickpocket you, so I imagine you knew I was going after her."

Antonio studied her for a moment before he smiled. "Grazie, Sofia. I will deal with her when she awakens."

"If I may, Antonio," I said, gesturing to the girl, "maybe you should recruit her. She can run quite fast, and I think I can teach her to climb. She could be valuable one day. And since she can take your coin purse, I think she has the skills."

Antonio considered this, stroking his moustache in thought. "Va bene. I don't think you will steer me wrong, but I will ask her instead of force her. It will be her choice."

I grinned. "I am sure you will not be disappointed, mio amico."

"I hope I am not."

The next evening, I very, very hesitantly put on the dress I bought. I shivered. _What I told Ezio was totally true… I hate the maledizione breeze!_

I slid my hidden blades onto my wrists and examined them, making sure that they blended well. I was suddenly glad I chose a dress with loose sleeves. I quietly snuck out of Antonio's office and headed for Checo Moro's estate, ensuring that I had the weapons I needed.

I got in easily enough, but the trick was to get him alone. I had to suppress a gag as I thought of the many ways I could do that. _Ugh… I'm not doing anything like _that_ to _that_ stronzo!_

Once I made sure I wouldn't gag from the thought, I looked around for him. Antonio had given me a well-enough description of the man; thinning blonde hair that was combed-over quite badly all the time, a round belly, and his clothes were simply too tight on him. Fortunately, this made him easy to pick out from the crowd.

I saw some courtesans in the corner of the estate. I let out a sigh of relief. _There _is_ a God…_

I went to them and subtly handed them several florins. "I need you to distract Checo Moro and lead him somewhere quiet. Can you do this?"

The girls nodded and blended into the crowd as they began their search for him. I only had to wait a few minutes before I saw them playfully leading him off into his study. I followed quietly, pretending to look at the paintings, but kept my eye on them. They finally turned down a hallway and towards the bedroom.

As the door started to close, I snuck in and hid in the shadows. Checo was flattering the girls, and he was being flattered in return, though I couldn't believe how fast the courtesans could come up with the "flattery".

I snuck behind them and then sunk my hidden blade into his heart. He tried to scream, but I covered his mouth, and then lowered him onto the bed.

"Requiescat in pace," I said as I closed his eyes.

The courtesans smiled and let me blend with them as we walked back to the party. I left early, before everyone started to wonder where their host was.

When I got back to Antonio's, I changed back into my normal clothing immediately and took great breaths. _Never… again…_

"Ah! If it isn't Sofia!" Antonio patted my back when I came out of his office, fully armed. "I trust you enjoyed the party."

"The host seemed a little dead, but it was okay," I replied, smiling.

"Malandrina…" Antonio muttered. "Well, the deed's been done, so I guess I must pay you for your services."

"No need," I said, holding up my hands. "Leave that money for the people."

Antonio smiled. "Va bene. Now, about that young thief…"

"What did she say?"

"She agreed," Antonio announced. "And she wants to race you."

I chuckled. "Oh, she's _on_."

_**2012**_

__I put on the robes that Lucy had given me, and they fit nicely. I'd have to thank her. _But she's definitely right. I _did_ seem better with memory loss… _My brow furrowed. _I guess it just seems so… surreal. I probably can't handle all of the emotions and memories coming at me like this. Then again, that's no excuse on how snappy I was at them. They rescued me and helped me…_

I sat back on the roof and stared out at Monteriggioni. _Damn… I'm an insensitive bitch, aren't I? _I couldn't hold back the wry chuckle that escaped my lips. "Shit. Altair, I seem to have forgotten who I fight for. Now, it would be at this point that Malik's son would hit me on the head and scold me. It was funny that he still thought I was a kid, and when he found out…" I started laughing. "Oh, God! His _face_! It looked like he wanted to bury his head beneath the sand! It was a good thing he resembled his father so much, else I'd have cut his face!"

"I can't say that that's funny at all," someone said.

But I recognized his voice instantly. "Simon?" I looked down at my old partner, who hadn't seemed to age at all. "What're you doing here?"

"Picking up a corpse, actually," he answered half-heartedly. "One that you so readily provided… as usual."

I smirked. "Sorry."

"I know you don't really mean that." Simon crossed his arms. "How 'bout you come down here so I can give you a proper 'hello'? I mean, it's been two years…"

I laughed and leaped off into a wagon full of hay. I missed its smell, and missed the adrenaline that coursed through my veins as I fell. I came out and hugged him. He was twenty-three now, and definitely taller.

"Nice to see you too," he said, patting me on the back awkwardly.

"Geez, you didn't think I forgot how much you _love_ being hugged?" I grinned and let go of him. "I expect that you aren't just here for Michael's corpse, right?"

"Well, I was requested by the Grandmaster to pick up his star boot-licker…" I punched him in the gut, and he reeled over to the ground. "Shit! I forgot you did that!"

"Next time, the hit will be lower," I threatened. "But why would the Grandmaster want me to come back? I'm busy."

"There's a mission that needs to be carried-out," he explained as he got up. "The Grandmaster knew you'd be coming back. What happened to you, by the way?"

"Memory loss," I replied. "Then the Templars got hold of me, but they didn't get anything of importance. Listen to me: get the body and get out of here. Tell the Grandmaster that I've got a mission of my own that needs to be carried-out. It must come first."

Simon scratched his head. "Wow. You must've really got a bad hit to be able to refuse him like that… I mean, you aren't even a ranked Assassin anymore!"

I frowned. "You know what? I've changed my mind. Take me to the Grandmaster, and I'll fight the strongest Assassin ranked. When I beat him, I'll come back here so I can get this mission finished!"

"You're gonna go after the number one?" Simon chuckled. "You once told me that you weren't strong enough to be number one! Now you want to target them?"

I rubbed my temples. "Just do it, Simon! Before I cut you somewhere important to the male species!"

_**1475**_

__"Go!"

I leaped forward and took the lead easily. The girl was just behind me, keeping an even pace. I smiled as I heard her speed start to increase. I cut a corner and continued running. She almost missed it, but made it and caught up.

I saw a pile of boxes up ahead and quickly jumped onto each one, then ran across a rampart and jumped onto a building. I climbed quickly, and saw a gap up ahead. The girl was close behind me, climbing strong. I smiled, and when I reached the gap I leaped upward, then grabbed onto the ledge above. I pulled myself onto the rooftop and started to run, jumping from one to another until I reached the edge. I saw our starting point, and so I leapt off of the roof and dived into the water. When I came up, I climbed quickly and stopped beside Antonio. It was a few minutes later that the girl came up, panting, but not heavily.

"How the hell'd you make that jump?" she asked.

I smiled and patted her head, even though she wasn't much shorter than I. "I'll teach you sometime, piccolo."

She grabbed my hand and tore it off of her head. "My name is not 'piccolo'! It's Rosa!"

I grinned. "Poco Rosa it is then!"

"Stop calling me that!"


	19. Dance of the Assassins

Chapter Eighteen:

Dance of the Assassins

_**2012**_

__"They won't even know you've left!" Simon assured me as I climbed into the car, Michael's body in the back. "The number one's gonna kick your ass!"

I rolled my eyes. _Yeah, this guy's got probably a decade of training. Me? Several._

"I'm just gonna sleep. Wake me when we get there."

I was probably asleep for an hour at the most. Simon shook me roughly to wake me up, something I wasn't so fond about, and just reminded me of when Michael had woken me up the same way a few hours ago. I frowned at the memory, but had no tears to shed for it. _It's over. It doesn't matter anymore. _I suddenly smiled. _Wow. I _am_ a heartless bitch!_

Simon led me inside, but I knew this place like the back of my hand. I could've led _him_ around, with all the times he got himself lost.

We eventually made it to the Grandmaster's office, which was large and spacious, perfect for the tons of Assassins standing inside.

"Ready?" Simon asked as we peeked through the door.

I pulled my hood up and checked my hidden blades. "Of course."

He opened the door, and we entered. All eyes turned towards us, or, rather, me. I could only imagine what they were thinking—their previous number four, captured with memory loss, and now challenging their current number one. I could read that much, but I was immortal, not a mind-reader.

"Samantha," the Grandmaster greeted.

I inclined my head. "Grandmaster."

"Is it true that you wish to challenge our number one?" By his tone, I knew that he believed it wasn't a good idea.

"It is. I have a mission I need to fulfill of my own, so I know that I must be a ranked Assassin to be able to do it."

"Are you going to tell me what that mission is?"

I shook my head. "With all due respect, Grandmaster, it's private."

He frowned, but seemed to understand. I'd told every Grandmaster of the Assassin Order about myself since Mario Auditore, but discluding Niccolo Machiavelli. Too late to rectify that, anyway.

"Very well. Would the current number one please step forward?"

A young man in blue jeans and a white bunnyhug stepped forward. His hood was up, like mine, so it was hard to see his face.

"I am Embry Redgrave," he said, placing a fist over his heart and bowing.

I imitated his motion. "Samantha Warner." _At least, that's what I'm known by in this time…_ "I am the challenger, therefore _you_ are to pick the way we should fight."

Embry didn't even give it a thought. "Blades," he announced. "I've dedicated myself to the study of medieval weaponry, and so we shall use blades."

I smiled. "How fortunate. My _life_ revolves around the old ways."

We were tossed our weapons: a longsword, a shortblade, and throwing knives. Each of us got the same amount, though I could see the way Embry held his longsword and his shortblade. He was thinking of using them at the same time.

I drew my sword. "Let's see what you can do, Embry Redgrave."

He smirked. "Back at you, Samantha Warner."

And with that, we attacked.

_**1476**_

__"Thank-you, Antonio," I said, inclining my head at him. "You have allowed me to stay far past what I had initially thought."

He smiled. "Please! You were a guest! I would not toss you out onto the streets so easily, mio amico!"

I smiled back. "Grazie. I mean it."

I started to board the ship when Rosa ran up, a bundle in her arms. "Sofia!" she called.

One of my eyebrows rose. "Rosa? I thought you were bad with good-byes."

"I am!" Rosa shoved the bundle in my arms. "That's why I thought I should get you something, so I wouldn't have to say it."

I smiled and opened the bundle. Sure enough, inside, was a crossbow. It looked just like my old one, too.

"Rosa… Grazie." I hugged her, something she immediately went frigid about. "I was really meaning to buy one of these. You didn't have to."

When I let go of her, Rosa looked away, as if she didn't care. "It was nothing. Just to thank-you for teaching me how to climb like you."

I flicked her head playfully, forcing her to look at me. "Rosa, I will be back. Do not worry; I am not leaving forever."

"Where are you going?" Antonio asked.

"Firenze," I said. "I heard that a friend put someone quite nasty in jail, and is probably in need of help. I'll need to visit his brother to get the facts, though."

Antonio nodded, and then closed a fist over his heart. "Safety and peace, mio amico."

"And you, Antonio." I imitated his movement, and then winked at Rosa. "Stay out of trouble, va bene?"

She huffed. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Right…" I knew we were both thinking of the night when she dropped a bucket of tomato juice onto an entire guard patrol's heads. "Well, I'd best be off."

I climbed the ramp and waved to them as we pulled away, and continued to look in their direction until Venezia disappeared. I looked at the crossbow, smiled, and then attached it to the leather strap that holstered the shortblade across my back.

_Grazie, Rosa._

_**2012**_

__I parried his attack and then swept my longsword downwards. Embry leapt over it, and brought his own longsword down upon my head. I just barely managed to block it, and another strike before I forced him backwards by kicking him in the gut.

Embry stayed strong, and paced around me. I followed him, studying him as well. We never took our eyes off of each other. This was like a dance, in some ways.

Embry smiled and brought out his shortblade, and held it in his left hand, his longsword in his right.

"My Master once told me to practice with my left arm, since I never knew when I may need it." He spun the shortblade around. "It seems that I underestimated you when I first met you."

"Many people do," I replied with a wry smile. "But I was taught that I must expect the unexpected, and if I am caught off-guard, I must adapt with the changes."

"And who taught you that?" Embry asked.

"Someone who is known, yet unknown."

Embry smiled and rushed at me. I blocked as best I could with the longsword, but quickly decided that I needed to switch to my favourite weapon. I tossed my longsword in the air and flipped over Embry, and when I landed I immediately equipped my shortblade, my longsword falling into the stones beside me and standing straight up.

I blocked a few of his attacks and analyzed the way he wielded his weapons. He seemed to be relying more on offence than defence, but that didn't mean he couldn't defend well. I needed to find his weakness, by exposing one of my own.

I left myself open. Embry lunged at me, and attempted to stab me. He thought he'd succeeded, too, until I smiled. Embry tried to tug his blade out from under my arm, so I quickly smashed his right wrist and kicked his shortblade from his hands. Embry back-flipped and grabbed the longsword that I'd been tossed at the beginning.

"Well, you've definitely got guts," he commented. "I was kinda worried that I'd killed one of our own."

I smiled. "Believe me when I say you can't kill me, Embry Redgrave."

"Oh, really?"

I let the shortblade fall from my grasp and spread my arms wide. "Many have tried, and all have failed. I'd ask this to be a duel to the death, but you're a brother, and you'd lose."

"Are you so sure?"

I nodded. "But this is a duel for position. Let's not get carried away with whom can't kill whom, all right?"

Embry grinned. "I think I'm starting to enjoy this fight!"

"What, the entertainment at the beginning did nothing to stimulate your adrenaline?" I raised my fists. "Fine! Let's get going!"

Embry fought well, aiming for every spot I felt uncomfortable defending until I made it clear I was used to that spot once more. I deflected his attacks with my vambraces and then kicked him in the gut again. He twirled his sword around and tried to cut my leg, but I back-flipped and stood casually, arms crossed, away from him.

"Is that all?" I asked, smirking.

Embry ran at me, his anger completely suppressed. I could see why he was the current number one. I closed my eyes and listened to his steps, and then he jumped into the air, the longsword aimed for my heart. I opened my eyes and activated my hidden blades, knocking away his longsword and kicking him in the side of the face. By the time he recovered, I was already on him. I deactivated my right hidden blade and punched him in the other side of the head, then easily kicked his sword from his grasp. It landed in front of Simon, in between his feet.

My opponent laughed, obviously enjoying himself, and activated his hidden blades as well. We stood there for a moment, smiling and enjoying the fight, and then we attacked each other again.

"This is it!" we roared.

_**1204**_

__"Suna!"

I turned and saw Darim running towards me. I tilted my head at Altair's first-born, wondering why he seemed to be panicking.

"Suna!" he repeated, and then grabbed my robe. "My friend Jahlal! He's in trouble!"

"Calm down," I told him. "Now, tell me exactly what happened."

Darim took in a deep breath and tried to master his emotions like I'd taught him. "Jahlal picked a fight with a traveler! He said that it was unfair that we were treated like children!"

I tilted my head. "But you _are_ children."

"I know!" Darim sighed. "And now that traveler is trying to kill him! I know Jahlal did something mean to him, but killing him is extreme!"

"What did Jahlal do?"

"He threw a stone at the traveler, and it struck him on the head. When the traveler told him to stop, he continued and laughed at him, and said, 'I am an Assassin! You are nothing to me!'." Darim looked at the ground, shameful. "I told him to stop, but…"

I patted his shoulder. "You did good coming to me. Jahlal has done a stupid thing, and he will be punished accordingly. However, I must stop this fight. Stay here in the keep. I will be back soon."

I charged down to the market of Masyaf, hoping to hear some commotion. Fortune smiled, it seemed, as I found Jahlal and the traveler quickly. The traveler was wearing a cowl, so it was impossible to see their face other than their eyes, which were grey in colour. They had a rucksack on their back, and was trying to defend themselves against the young Jahlal, who was laughing and tossing stones at them.

_It does not look like the traveler can fight back…_ I studied the scene quickly, using every precious second. _It seems like Darim was trying to protect his friend by pinning the blame on another person, so Jahlal would not be punished, but fled when he realized that he could not stop his friend._ I shook my head. _I'll have to teach Darim about honesty. But for now, I must stop this!_

I stepped in-between Jahlal and the traveler, and stabbed a stone that Jahlal had tossed into the air with my hidden blade.

"Now that I have your attention," I said coldly, "you are to stop this _now_!"

I retracted my hidden blade, and the stone fell to the ground. Jahlal stared at me, at a loss for words, it seemed. He was merely a boy, and not very well-disciplined at that.

"M-Master Suna!" He quickly bowed. "I-I did not hear you come!"

"They call me 'Shadow-Step' for a reason, young Jahlal." I motioned to the traveler, who was bleeding in several places. "Now, would you tell me why you were pelting rocks at this poor stranger!"

Jahlal was silent for a few seconds before he pointed at the traveler accusingly. "This person struck me and called me an infidel! I was not going to stand for it!"

"Where did this person strike you?"

He pointed to his cheek. "Right here!"

I examined it. It had no marking whatsoever. "Apologize to this traveler!"

"But I did nothing! I—!"

"Do not _lie_ to me!" I exploded. Jahlal cringed, as did much of the onlookers. I rarely did such a thing. "There is no mark on your face! I saw you pelting this poor person with stones, and Darim even tried to defend you! Your friend _lied_ to me to protect you! Altair's son!"

"But—!"

I activated my hidden blade. "One more word, boy, and I will cut out your tongue!" I grabbed his hood and dragged him to the stranger, who was on their knees and trying to hide their pain, though their eyes gave them away. "The only words you will utter will be an apology to the person you _abused_ your strength against! If there is no apology, then the Grandmaster's punishment will be much, _much_ harsher than if you do!"

Jahlal got on his hands and knees and bowed deeply. "My deepest apologies," he muttered.

I retracted my hidden blade and crossed my arms. "What was that? I am afraid I did not hear you." I looked to the crowd. "Did any of you hear him?" Some people shook their heads, while others just stared at me in shock. "Louder this time!" I ordered Jahlal.

"I am deeply sorry!" he said.

I grabbed his hood and stood him up, then motioned to two guards. "Take him to the Grandmaster and inform him of what has transpired here."

The guards nodded and hurried off quickly, probably for fear that I would explode once more. I helped the stranger to their feet and let them lean on me for support.

"I will get you some medical attention," I said as I led them up to the fortress. "If you get tired, let me know."

Though their breathing was ragged, this stranger refused to give up until we reached the fortress, where their legs collapsed from under them. I got them onto my back and carried them to my room, then got some doctors to take a look.

"I will be back," I told the doctors. "I must oversee a few punishments."

_**2012**_

__You remember, in the movies, when two opponents run at each other, and everything slows down? You can see the sweat on their foreheads, the strain on their muscles, and the expressions on their faces. Well, several times, it felt like that when I was fighting Embry. We jumped into the air at the same time, our hidden blades raised to strike, and it somehow felt like everything was slower than it really was. Our blades locked, so we spun away and attacked again, engaging in a deadly dance with each other, where each move could have been our last (well, that's not exactly the case for me, but it was fun to think). I knew that, given the opportunity, I wouldn't kill Embry. It was just a fight for position, not for blood.

I leaned backwards as Embry's blades came at my torso, and I barely got beneath them. I grabbed onto his arms and ran up his torso, ensuring some extra pressure on my feet, and then leapt off of his face. As soon as I'd landed, I ran back at him and saw that he was about to attack as well. I slowed, giving him an opening. He fell for it, and I leaped into the air and spinning, evading his criss-crossing blades, and then planted my feet on his chest, knocking the air out of him and sending him to the ground. I stepped onto his hidden blade chambers and crouched down, my left hidden blade at his throat.

"Give up?" I asked.

He smiled. "Hell no."

I heard the sound of blades, and so I rolled forward. Just in time, too. Embry had hidden blades in his boots, and if I hadn't moved I would've been skewered on his toes. I ended up having to block kicks and punched with hidden blades attached to them. It was definitely a new experience.

I eventually jumped, having dodged some kicks, and landed on the blades on his feet. He tried to get me off of them, but they snapped off. It didn't matter which era, there was always a place on the hidden blade that was weak in metal, and easy to snap, if you knew where it was.

In a last effort, Embry took out his five throwing knives and tossed them at me in succession. I smiled and spun around, grabbing each one and tossing them right back at him. I stuck Embry to the wall with his own throwing knives, and so I pressed my left hidden blade against his Adam's apple once more.

"I think this is it," I told him.

After a few moments' stare-down, he smiled. "I think it is."

I retracted my hidden blades and grabbed the throwing knives, then shook Embry's hand firmly.

"Woah…" he muttered. "I think I just got my ass kicked!"

I nodded. "That you did. By the way, I'd get a band-aid on that scratch."

Embry looked at himself. "What scratch?"

I smiled as a wound from one of the throwing knives just appeared on his cheekbone, seeping blood. "That one."

He touched his face and laughed. "Holy shit!"

I looked to the Grandmaster. "I think we can agree that I'm the number one now, so I'm going to get back to my mission."

Simon followed me out. When we reached his car, I sighed in exasperation and let my hood fall.

"How the _hell'd_ you do that?" Simon asked.

I grinned. "Practice. And lemme say; that guy finally gave me a challenge that I won't soon forget!"


	20. A Stranger From Damascus

Chapter Nineteen:

A Stranger From Damascus

_**1204**_

__"Jahlal, you are to be held accountable for your actions," Altair said to the boy. "Because you not only stoned a perfectly harmless stranger, you also lied to the face of a Master Assassin!"

The boy frowned, but said nothing. I leaned against the wall, facing Altair, but out of their sight.

"With all due respect, Grandmaster, I think you heard the story wrong," Jahlal said. "I defended myself. I did nothing to harm that person. They hurt themselves so that they would seem innocent."

"And still, you lie." Altair shook his head. "Suna has not yet come to tell me what she saw, but the guards told me all that they had seen. There is heavy evidence against you, and yet, without having met this stranger, I cannot say who is right."

I frowned, but nodded. I could have been wrong, that much I knew, but I was certain that I was right. Still, Altair would have to meet the stranger.

"Until I meet with Suna and this stranger, you will be confined to your room. If you still lie, then I will think of a suitable punishment."

"I am telling you, Grandmaster! I did not lie!"

_Looks like we will have to speak to Darim as well… _My frown deepened as Jahlal walked down the steps, keeping his emotions to himself.

"Suna," Altair called, "we must speak."

I nodded and came to him. His hood was lowered, which was rare for him, and he was rubbing his eyes. I'd noticed that he'd become much more tired over the years. Probably because of how tediously he was studying the Apple.

"I know you heard us," he said. "Do you have anything to add?"

"No, Grandmaster. I stopped Jahlal from hurting the stranger further, and then he said that the stranger had called him an 'infidel', and that he was merely defending himself."

"Do you believe him?"

I shook my head. "I found a pattern that many people do when lying; they blink much more than usual. Jahlal was blinking more than I'd ever seen."

Altair nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. Could you check on the stranger? I heard that you'd requested doctors, and, frankly, I know that they weren't for you."

I shrugged. "You never know, Grandmaster, but you are correct. I will check on our guest."

It only took me a few minutes to reach my room. I met Maria inside, who was tending to the stranger's wounds. Unknown to some, she was a skilled surgeon.

"Maria," I greeted, inclining my head.

"Ah! Suna!" Maria put a cloth in a water basin, one that she'd been dabbing at the stranger's wounds with. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to! When you weren't by the training grounds, I sincerely did not know where to look for you!"

I smiled, but my eyes wandered to the water basin. The clear water was steadily turning red. "I guess I am usually there this time of day. I am sorry, but I had to stop Jahlal from hurting this person much more. Altair wants to speak with them to hear their side of the story."

Maria smiled. "Well, she probably needs a bit of rest, but other than that—."

The older woman paused when the stranger grabbed her arm and shook her head. I could see now; the stranger was a girl. Probably no older than I. But she still had her cowl on, so I couldn't tell.

"Ah, you are a stubborn one." Maria nodded to her. "Very well, you can go with Suna now. Do not worry; Suna will make sure no one hurts you like that again."

The girl dressed quickly and followed me through the fortress. She seemed to shrink a bit every time we passed another Assassin. I knew that Jahlal was tall for his age, despite being eleven, but she seemed to see him everywhere.

"Do not worry," I told her. "Jahlal has been confined to him room for the time being, until we can get this sorted out."

She nodded, but still seemed to be hiding behind me. When we finally reached the main part of the fortress, I gestured to the stairs.

"Grandmaster Altair will be in his study," I said. "Do not be afraid of him; he will listen to what you have to say."

She started up the stairs, but when she reached the first landing, she stopped, turned around, and bowed.

"Thank-you," she said, "for helping me."

I inclined my head. "It was nothing. If I may ask, where are you from?"

"Damascus," she told me. "I came to Masyaf in hopes I could start a life."

"I am sorry that your new life was met with such bad fortune. It gets better. Trust me."

_**1459**_

__"It's nice that Giovanni has another child," I remarked as I stepped through the forest. "I am glad that I did not forget about those raiders. Too bad it has taken me so long to come out to find them."

I heard some yelling in the distance. Without hesitation, I climbed onto a tree and started to jump through them, using my momentum from one to propel myself forward. I landed on a branch just before a clearing and saw some men wearing similar clothing to the ones I'd killed protecting the man and the woman on my way to Firenze. They were roughly throwing people around. A man finally stood up and attacked the raiders, but he was kicked in the chest and slammed into a tree.

I shook my head and pulled my hood up, then stood up in the tree and grabbed my crossbow. _Let's get this over with!_

I dropped out of the tree and fired my crossbow. I hit one raider in the chest, and then blocked an attack from another one while reloading. I spun around and shot my crossbow again, taking another one between the eyes.

A raider came at me with an axe, so I brought my crossbow up intending to deflect it, but the raider changed his direction at the last second and took my crossbow from my hands. He smashed it against a tree and then turned back to me, grinning from ear to ear.

I frowned. "You, my friend, are going to wish that you'd never been born!"

I activated my hidden blades as he took another swing at me. I criss-crossed my blades and stopped the axe, and then rolled away from him. His axe continued downward, its momentum carrying it, and killed another raider who had been sneaking up on me. I stabbed another raider in the throat before I took the last raider's life; the one who'd just killed his comrade.

I sighed as I picked up my crossbow. "Damn it! It's hard to make these!"

The man who'd tried to fight back against the raiders came up to me. He was bleeding, but he stood tall, as if he didn't notice it at all. He had short black hair, and a black goatee.

"Grazie," he said, "but I could have taken care of them."

I smiled. "Yes, I have no doubt you could have."

"Those raiders ambushed us as we were heading to Venezia!" a woman exclaimed. "This man happened along the way and tried to help, but they were too strong!"

"There were too many," I said. "My name is Suna. And yours?"

The man took my hand and shook it firmly, a grasp that I returned. "Bartolomeo d'Alviano."

_D'Alviano, huh? I think I like that name._ I grabbed a claymore from the ground and handed it to him. "Here; I am sure you can escort these people the rest of the way to Venezia."

Bartolomeo took the claymore and nodded. "Si, I can. Your accent… You are not from Italia, are you?"

"Syria, actually." I inclined my head. "Nice to meet you, Bartolomeo."

"Piacere, Suna," Bartolomeo replied, and bowed. "I mean it when I say 'grazie'."

"I know."

_**1204**_

__Altair came down to my room, a frown fixed on his face. "Suna? Are you here?"

"Yes, Grandmaster." I opened the door and let him in. He studied me for a moment before he came in and sat on my bed. "What is it?"

"She told me the very story you told me, and the very one the guards told me." Altair sighed. "Jahlal tried to stone her to death because she bumped into him. She apologized and tried to be on her way when he grabbed some stones and tried to 'put her in her place'."

I nodded, understanding how Altair felt about such things. "Darim tried to protect Jahlal by telling me a different story. How you deal with him is your own business, but Darim did not want anyone to be hurt. He just wanted the conflict to stop."

"Darim lied to you, Suna. To your face. Are you so certain that you want him to be let off easily?"

I shook my head. "Like I said: he is your son. He may be my brother, but I must also step aside to let justice come."

Altair sighed. "I have offered for Chara to stay at the fortress until she can find a home of her own," Altair announced.

"Chara?" I repeated.

"The stranger."

I nodded. "Ah, yes. Shall I help her?"

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you about her." Altair went to the door and brought her in. He sat Chara on the bed and then stood beside me. Chara's eyes were darting across my face, studying it.

_Right,_ I thought, _my hood is down, so_ _she has not seen my face before. She is probably just trying to remember it._

"Chara says she is from Damascus," Altair said.

I nodded. "I know. She told me."

"So, I thought, as you are from Damascus as well, you would help her."

I nodded. "Not a problem, Grandmaster."

Altair patted my shoulder and then left my room. I crossed my arms and studied Chara, but mostly her rucksack.

"You have not packed much, considering how far Damascus is," I observed. "Especially when walking."

"I do not have much," Chara replied. "You… You are from Damascus as well?"

I nodded. "I came to Masyaf when I was still young. Actually, I was brought here by the Grandmaster. He saved my life."

Chara nodded. "I trust you would fight for him to repay the debt, then. I know those robes. You are an Assassin as well, are you not?"

"I am. I am Suna Ibn La'Ahad, Master Assassin."

"I have heard tell of Suna of the Shadow-Step," Chara remarked. Her eyes inclined slightly, showing that she was smiling. "I did not know it would be someone who was not born into the Brotherhood."

"Work hard enough, and you can achieve many things."

Chara nodded. "I will keep that in mind, Master."

"Please, call me Suna. There is no need for formalities. In truth, they feel too strange to me."

"Rank is something you've earned! It is something that you must show pride for!" Chara said.

I smiled. "And sometimes rank is given, and it is flaunted about in the streets, showing everyone who they _really_ are."

"You have had a bad experience with men of rank?" Chara asked, tilting her head.

After a moment, I nodded and leaned against a door. "A Noble from Jerusalem, about fourteen years ago."

She dipped her head. "I… am sorry."

To me, her tone seemed to say that she knew something about my parents' deaths, but I decided not to press on it.

"I was taken from my parents," Chara said. "They needed to repay a debt, and they had no money. Once I'd repaid it, I went to find them, but I found out they were dead. So I tried to find a job in Damascus, but when I could find none, I packed what I had and travelled here."

"I am sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

"The worst part is that I heard my parents had another child, but she was killed. I never got to meet my little sister."

I stayed in silence for a time, unsure of what I could say. "Would it truly be better to have known your sibling before they died? It would only be harder."

Chara nodded. "I know, but still… It would have been a privilege to be an older sister."

_**2012**_

__"So what you're saying is," Simon said as we pulled up to Monteriggioni, "you didn't go for the number one spot because you didn't want to be known?"

"Not very much, obviously. I still took the number four spot."

"And now you're number one…" Simon shook his head. "The way you moved at the beginning looked like you were getting used to everything again."

"Duh." Simon raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. "What? I was sleeping before I fought!"

Simon chuckled and unlocked the door. "Fine. Just get back to Lucy. I'm sure they're wondering where you are."

I nodded. "Thanks, Simon. Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

"_Sure_ you can."

I frowned and got out of the car, then waved as Simon drove off. The sun was starting to come up, so I went back inside and sat on Altair's statue's pedestal.

Rebecca looked up from her computer, saw me there, and jumped. She obviously hadn't noticed me come in.

I smiled. "What's up? You look like you just saw a cat narrowly escape from getting squashed! Not that that's an entirely funny image, mind you…"

Rebecca sighed. "I just didn't expect to see you staring at me so intensely, kiddo."

"I thought you weren't gonna call me that anymore?" I groaned.

"Too damn bad! You were frozen at seventeen, so all age in-between is totally irrelevant!"

"Could you two stop it?" Shaun snapped. "I'm trying to work here!"

I frowned. "Who pissed in _your_ cornflakes?"

Rebecca was hiding behind Baby so Shaun wouldn't see her laughing. Desmond finally came out of Baby and decided to check his e-mail. I stayed still and stared at him until he noticed I was perched above him.

"Holy—!" Desmond fell backwards. I laughed at him and tried to stop from falling off of the pedestal. "What the hell? Who _does_ that?"

"Me, obviously." I grinned. "I just wanted to see your reaction. Rebecca didn't notice me either, so you're not the only one. But the falling thing was pretty good!"

Desmond frowned and walked over to Lucy, and then asked when they were going to get some food.

"People who don't work, don't eat," Lucy replied shortly.

Desmond was speechless.

"I'm kidding!" Lucy said. "You knew I was kidding, right?"

"Right. Just smile and nod," Shaun mumbled.

"_Someone_ just volunteered to get the food!" Lucy said.

"It was worth it." Shaun started out the Sanctuary.

"I'm coming too!" I said, and followed him out.

I heard someone clear their throat. "Hey, Lucy, what'd you say to her?"

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Rebecca," Lucy replied. "I guess Sam's just decided to be Sam."


	21. Reconnecting With Family

Chapter Twenty:

Reconnecting With Family

_**1204**_

__I watched with a frown as Sef and Darim raced through the streets of Masyaf, nearly barrelling into several people. _When I said they could play, I did not mean destroy everything in sight!_ I sighed and ran after them, being careful to avoid everyone. To keep an eye on them, I climbed on the buildings and watched them carefully. Darim was beating his brother, but Sef was a natural runner, and he was gaining on his older brother. I leaped into a haystack and then found a bench to sit on that would intercept their path. I waited patiently until the boys came around the corner, and then I grabbed onto their hoods. The boys, for s moment, did not know they'd been caught, and so their legs continued to move in mid-air. It was humorous, at best.

"Don't you two think you should watch where you're going?" I asked.

Darim and Sef straightened out immediately as I set them down on the ground. Darim grinned up at me, and his brother quickly followed.

"Suna!" Sef exclaimed. "I thought you said that Darim and I could have fun!"

"And I also asked that you not destroy anything," I said. "This is the second time you've nearly created a mess even your father would not have been able to clean with a thousand Assassins." I smiled. "Both of you, try to be more careful. If you are going to race, do it on the rooftops. That way you will not hurt anyone you bump into."

Darim and Sef nodded, then quickly charged towards the nearest rooftop. I shook my head, but returned to the keep, where I met Chara.

"Have you found a home yet?" I asked. "Not that I am in a hurry to make you go. I am simply curious."

Chara seemed to smile. She hadn't taken that cowl off during the entire week she'd been staying with us. "I almost had some luck today, but the house had just been sold to a couple from Jerusalem. I will search harder tomorrow."

I smiled. "I think I heard that a couple are about to move to Acre, because the price has gone down. In a few days, they may be desperate to sell at a lower price. Maybe you should wait."

Chara nodded. "Then I will, Suna. Thank-you."

"I am just trying to help."

Chara sighed and laid down on her bed. "Suna… I was wondering something."

"What?"

"Your name. It is similar to 'Suha', the star, but I do not know what yours means. Could you tell me?"

I shook my head. "My name has no meaning. Maria gave it to me because I did not have one of my own. I think that she wanted me to have one that I would not have to try to live up to its meaning. But the Grandmaster told me it is a strong name, so I will trust him in what he says."

"You really trust the Grandmaster, don't you?" Chara asked.

I nodded. "He saved my life, not once, but twice, gave me a home, a family, and a purpose. I am not sure that I could ever repay him for what he has done for me. So I told him that I would be the best Assassin that anyone had ever seen."

"Aren't you afraid, though? You're taking people's lives."

"Only the ones who deserve to be taken. I will stay my blade from the blood of an innocent, I will not let my presence be known to my enemies, and I will not compromise the Brotherhood. This is what I have been taught, and it is what I believe."

"Or have you been taught to believe it?"

I paused, and then shook my head. "I was taught it, but it was of my own free-will that I decided to follow the Creed. I would not be the person I am today if I did not follow what I believed as well as what I knew what was to be truth."

Chara nodded. "I suppose you are right. Sometimes I do not know what to believe. In Damascus, or any city really, if you are poor, you are not worth anyone's time. Less so, if you are a woman."

"Altair hates how women are treated," I told her. "He is striving to right the world's wrongs. I respect him for much more than that, though." I smiled. "Maybe, in time, you will also want to become a part of the Brotherhood that he has helped prosper."

"I will think on it, Suna."

_**1476**_

__I climbed onto the rooftop as fast as I possibly could, but it seemed that I was not fast enough, again. The three Auditores were dead by the time I reached the edge of the building.

"_FATHER_!" Ezio screamed, and shoved through the crowd. I recognized him, despite wearing his father's Assassin robes. Two guards grabbed his arms and pulled him back from the execution platform, Ezio struggling against them. "I'll _kill_ you for what you've done!"

Uberto Alberti smiled and gestured to Ezio as the boy broke free of the guards and drew his sword. "Kill the boy!"

Ezio's sword was tossed from his hands as a guard in heavy armour wielding an axe attacked him. I saw a courtesan and a thief I was familiar with stand not far from him, and tell him to run. Ezio listened, and sprinted out of the area. As the guards pursued him, I killed them one by one, giving Ezio more time to escape.

"Vanni…" I muttered as I cast one look back at the bodies. "Federico… Petruccio… I did not know you as well as I would have liked to, but I considered you family nonetheless."

I knew that Ezio would want to see to the rest of his family's safety, so I decided to do some work of my own, and dropped-in to see someone I knew I could trust.

I knocked on the door of Leonardo da Vinci. He opened it warily, knowing that the guard was after Ezio, and would probably come for him, as he was a close friend of the Auditores.

"Si?" Leonardo asked as the door opened a sliver. "Who is it?"

"A friend of the Auditores," I whispered. "My name is Sofia d'Alviano. I am Ezio's friend."

Leonardo opened the door a bit more and studied me for a time. "What are you wearing?" he asked suddenly.

"Ezio will explain it to you, one day," I told him. "May I come in? I am afraid that, as a friend of the Auditore clan, I am not exactly a welcome face in this city."

"Si, si, come in." Leonardo moved to the side so I could enter. I examined his workshop (and the bodies inside) for a time before I decided it was safe for me to relax. I let my hood fall and examined his workshop with more interest as I saw tiny models of inventions that he wanted to make. "What is it that I can help you with?"

_His inventions remind me of Altair's,_ I thought with a smile. "I would ask you a favour: I need you to help Ezio, whatever means necessary."

"Of course!" Leonardo said. "His mother has been an amazing patron of my work for a few years now! I must repay that debt!"

"Bene. Ezio will be here soon, and he will no doubt need something repaired. Do not tell him that I have come, or what I have asked of you."

"Do not worry; he will hear nothing of it from me." Leonardo hesitated as I started to the door. "If I may ask, Sofia, why don't you want Ezio to know you were here if you are his friend?"

I pulled my hood up, frowning. "If he knows I was here, then he may think I could have helped his father and brothers."

"Could you have?"

I opened the door. "No, I could not. I was too late, but I will do my best to help him now. I will make it up to him, though I know it won't make it up for the loss of family."

"I am sure that Ezio will appreciate whatever you will offer, Sofia."

I inclined my head at him. "Grazie, Leonardo. Oh, by the way, you know that machine you have in the back?"

Leonardo looked to the invention in the trash heap. "Si?"

"Do not give up on it quite yet. Roma was not built in a day, was it? Neither will it."

Leonardo shrugged. "Maybe I will. But I don't get most of it. How to make a man fly…?"

"If anyone can figure it out, you can," I told him. "You just have to keep trying."

_**2012**_

___Sam,_

_ Where the hell are you? They keep telling us that you're somewhere safe—well, safe as can be, apparently—but they won't tell us a damn thing other than that! We haven't seen you in weeks, and I'm really getting worried. I know it's you (after all, who could ever forget what you did to Steven?), but I feel like something's wrong on your end. Isn't there anything you can tell me? It'd be better than nothing at all, and it'd help me understand some of the shit going on._

_ Oh, and Tyler wanted to remind you that you have a damn promise to keep. You said you'd take him to the damn fair, so you better pull through on that! Or I swear to God, Sam, I'll take away your computer!_

_ Seriously, I'm not pullin' your leg. Write back soon, Sam._

Ryan

I looked over the e-mail and sighed. I'd almost forgotten about Ryan and Tyler. I owed them, even though I knew I wouldn't have died the day Ryan pulled me out of that burning building, but they took care of me. The only piece of ID I had on me was a nametag for the school I was going to infiltrate, that read "Samantha Warner".

_Ryan,_

_ Sorry it took so long to reply. I'd blame the mailman, but then that wouldn't really work. It's e-mail. So, yeah, I just didn't know what to write. There's not much I can tell you about what's going on. And don't immediately say, "Because you don't think I could handle it!". I don't mean that. I mean that it's for your own safety, so the guys that're there protecting you can do it efficiently, and you and Tyler can get back to your lives faster._

_ But I can tell you this: I got my memory back. I admit, it's not exactly rainbows and butterflies, but it's my life, and I've got to deal with it. I can honestly say that whatever I was thinking when I didn't have my memories—who I was, where I lived, my parents, etc.—I didn't expect it. In my wildest imagination… Actually, scratch that. _Definitely_ in my wildest imagination, because you know that I used to have those dreams about the medieval times. (To be as honest as I can with you, I wasn't that far-off.) But, the thing is, Ryan, I've done some things. You could be totally disgusted with what I've done in the past, but I hope you won't. I really, _really_ hope you won't. Fortunately, I've realized that who I was in the past isn't who I am now. Not to be all "Saturday Morning Special" on you, but because of the time I spent with you and Tyler, I managed to find my bearings, and I remembered who I was fighting for. _

_ As for my promise to Tyler… it seems like I've got a lot of promises to keep. One to my father, one to Tyler… So many others. Tell Tyler that, as soon as this stuff is over, I'll take him to that stupid fair. Hell, I'll take both of you! My treat. But, on the off-chance that you never hear from me again, I want you guys to move on. And don't worry; if anything happens to you two, I'll be there and I'll protect you guys until the end. Unfortunately, my end seems to be far-off yet…_

_ Stay safe._

Sam

_**1204**_

__"Suna, I must see you," Altair said as he barged into my room. "Now. In my study."

He closed the door as soon as he'd opened it. I mentally praised my bright idea to get up earlier than usual to get dressed, as I'd just finished. I put my weapons in their respective places and jogged to Altair's study, not even bothering to pull up my hood, despite how tired I looked.

Before Altair got to the point he wanted, he studied my face. "Suna, why do you look so tired?"

"I was up chasing Darim and Sef," I said. "They wanted to go running again."

Altair shook his head. "Then, later today, I would ask that you increase their training and show them what happens when they stay up past their curfew."

I bowed. "Of course, Grandmaster."

Altair sighed. "Suna… I must admit that I did not feel very comfortable around that stranger."

"Really?" I asked. "What was the matter?"

"She felt… Chara confused me. I felt like I knew her, and yet she was a completely different person from who I thought she was."

Chara walked into Altair's study, and then chose to stand beside me. "I am here, as you requested, Grandmaster," she said, placing a hand over her heart and bowing respectively. "What is it you need of me?"

"I did some checking-up on you, Chara," Altair said.

"You were… curious about me?" she asked.

Altair nodded. "I was. And now, with the results I received, I was right to suspect."

"Suspect what?" I asked, my eyes glancing at Chara quickly.

Altair handed me a piece of parchment. "Suna, Chara, I did not know how else to tell you two…"

I read over the parchment, and for the first time in many, many years, I was speechless.

"What?" Chara asked.

"Your parents… their names were Talal and Ada, correct?" Altair asked her.

She nodded. "Yes. They lived in the Poor District of Damascus. But… they're dead now."

"Killed by the authorities," Altair said. "After they were accused of kidnapping and murdering a Noble from Jerusalem. The Noble showed up not long after they were publicly executed, leaving their youngest child behind to fend for herself, but did nothing to help her. For three years, that child grew up on the streets of Damascus by earning money doing courier jobs, as she was one of the fleetest of foot there, until some guards accused her of stealing and cornered her." Altair took the parchment from my hands, but I barely moved. My heart was beating at a pace that I could not register. "Their eldest child worked-off the debt they owed, but later learned that they had been killed. So, she came to Masyaf, where her younger sister had been for the past eleven years."

"Y-You know my sister?" Chara exclaimed. "Can you take me to her?"

"I already have," Altair said.

I was frozen to the spot, and my breath had left my body. I was _not_ an only child.

And it was _Chara_ who was my older sister.


	22. Never Forget

Chapter Twenty-One:

Never Forget

_**1999**_

__"Sam," the Grandmaster said, "I'd like to introduce you to Michael Ruth. He'll be working with you from now on."

"With me?" I asked as I looked at Michael, who was just barely taller than me, and kinda skinny. "Like partners? Or do you want me to train him?"

"A bit of both," he replied. "Just watch him, and teach him. But try to work with him, okay?"

I frowned. "Fine. Leave him here, and I'll find a mission that I can get us both to do."

The Grandmaster patted Michael on the shoulder and then left the garage. I looked him over once before I shrugged and got back to work.

"What're you doing?" Michael asked me.

"Working on a car bomb," I explained. "I wanted to give the Templars an anniversary gift."

"Anniversary?" he repeated. "For what?"

"The day I was brought into the Order." I peeked at him from underneath the car, and I knew I looked like a mess with grease and oil all over me. "Exactly _how_ old are you?"

"Sixteen," he said proudly, puffing his chest out a tiny bit.

I frowned again. "Why do they _always_ stick me with the _kids_…?" I muttered absently.

He seemed a tiny bit insulted. "_Hey_! Exactly how old're _you_?"

_Eight-hundred thirteen, _I answered in my head, _but I look good for my age. _"Seventeen."

"You're a year older than me!"

"Don't let age deceive you. It's skill that we rely on."

"Then why're you judging me by my age?" Michael snapped.

I got up from under the car and sized him up again. "You just came into the Order. Therefore, your skill is slightly less than a lot of people here. Slightly, or a lot, at least. I can judge that much."

Michael frowned. "Hey, shorty, I'm more skilled than you could ever—!"

I grabbed his wrist, twisted and flipped him onto the ground. "Sorry! What were you saying? Something about '_skill'_, right?"

"I was just goin' easy on you…" he mumbled angrily, pushing himself up. "It wouldn't be like that if I made the first move!"

I laughed. "Oh, really? Well then, take your best shot!"

Michael stared at me. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He looked me over quickly before he grabbed my arms and pinned them to my sides. I looked at my arms and shook my head.

"Wrong move."

I ran my legs up his body and smashed his face with my shoes. He let go of my arms to tend to his nose, so it helped my balance to land on the ground without falling on my head.

"You need to work on where you hold people. If you'd grabbed my wrists, I wouldn't have been able to run up your face, would I?"

He glared at me angrily. "How the _hell'd_ you _do_ that?"

"Practice," I answered simply. "Now, I want you to try and sneak up on me for the next hour. You can't be an Assassin if you're not exactly sneaky."

Michael frowned, but listened and left the garage. I sighed and checked the car bomb. _That idiot. How the hell'd he ever get to be an Assassin anyway?_

_**2012**_

__"Sam, have you been hacking into my e-mail account?" Shaun asked frantically.

One of my eyebrows rose. "Hacking into _your_ account? Shaun, there's no point! All I'd find in there would be tons of boring 'Shaun' stuff! My head would explode!"

Shaun frowned. "Oh, haha, very funny. Well, you keep making little jokes, because I know its you!"

"I'd _love_ to see you prove it. And the look on your face when you realise that its been yourself all along."

Shaun went back to his stool and computer, muttering curses under his breath. I gave Rebecca a thumbs-up, because she was chuckling at Shaun.

"Hey, Sam," Lucy said, "how old are you?"

I had to think about it for a second. "Eight-hundred twenty-six," I answered.

"You should try for the 'Guinness Book of World Records'," Rebecca suggested.

I shrugged. "I'd have to prove that I've lived that long, and since I asked that Altair not write about me in his Codex…"

"You have a point there," Shaun said. "Too bad. Coulda won a lot of money."

"Money's the last thing I care about," I told them. "I've got bank accounts all over the world. I'm good."

"Have you ever thought about a will?" Rebecca asked. "I mean, in case you ever do die."

I nodded. "I change it every few years, since I can't say I'm going to leave everything to a few people, and I end up out-living them. Not fun."

"Well, what do you do with all the artefacts that you 'accumulate' during your lifetime?" Shaun asked.

"I donate them, obviously." I activated my hidden blade, and then let it return to its chamber. "Many of the things in each museum around the world were donated by myself through various groups over the years. It's one of the reasons that I have this money. But Ezio and I always used to complain how we had so many damn florins that we didn't know what the hell to do with 'em. So, we donated a lot to the Assassins, and then pretty much ran around Rome throwing florins around."

"Pfft! I _wish_!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"No. Seriously, you don't."

_**1204**_

__"Suna, I will be going to Constantinople," Altair said to me in my bedroom. "Would you like to join me? I am trying to form a Brotherhood in many cities, and I am personally going to oversee the one to be created in Constantinople."

I heard him speak, but I was not paying attention. Two days after I learned Chara was my sister, I was still in shock. I had barely come from my room since that day. My mind was tumbling around, as if it was still trying to grasp that I had family.

"Suna?"

I snapped to attention. "Yes, Grandmaster?"

Altair frowned and sat with me on the bed. "I thought you'd be happy that you have a sister."

"I honestly cannot take hold of my feelings, Grandmaster," I told him. "I was entirely used to having no one who shared my blood, and so I dedicated myself to the Order. But now…" I shook my head. "Now I have to protect Chara. For all the Templars I've killed, she could be targeted. She'd be safe here, in the fortress, if she bothered to stay inside. I do not know what to do, because I have my duties, but I also have my responsibilities."

"I understand," Altair said. "Suna, I think you should go with Chara, and get her away from all of this. Then you may decide when, or if, you want to return."

I looked at the Grandmaster in shock. "You… want me to leave?"

"I want you to protect your sister," he said. "It is true that you have gained many enemies. I intercept messages from the Templars sometimes, and most of them speak of you; the Assassin with the golden eyes."

I hung my head and rubbed my eyes. "Troublesome. It seems I _will_ have to go." I stood up. "I will get Chara, and we will go to Constantinople. Maybe she will be safe there, with another Brotherhood watching over her. And then I can return."

Altair nodded and patted my back, standing up himself. "We leave tomorrow. Tell your sister. She will need time to prepare."

_**1476**_

__"Sofia!" Paola exclaimed.

"Bello rivederti, Paola," I said, before the older woman had me in a bear-hug. "Non riesco a respirare!"

"Oh, scusa…" Paola said, and then held me away at arms length. "You have not changed a bit, mio amico!"

"What can I say? I look good for my age." I patted her arm, and then paced around the La Rosa Colta. "You taught Ezio how to blend into the crowd, si?"

Paola nodded. "I sent him to Leonardo da Vinci, to get Giovanni's hidden blade repaired."

"Bene. I noticed some posters outside, all around Firenze. There are also heralds that are telling everyone to keep an eye out for him, and, of course, corrupt Nobles who are pretending to be witnesses to Ezio 'attacking' Uberto Alberti. Once Ezio's gotten rid of that bastardo, send him after these things. I have no doubt that he is going to go to Mario, at Monteriggioni."

Paola nodded. "I can do this." She placed a fist over her heart and bowed respectively. "Safety and peace, mio amico."

I mimicked her movements. "And to you."

Just as I left La Rosa Colta, I heard Claudia say, "Paola, who were you speaking to?"

_Don't worry, Claudia. I will see you again soon._

_**2012**_

__"Actually, Sam, I've got a question for you," Shaun said as I observed the information he had posted to the wall above his computer. "You and Michael loved each other, yeah?"

I nodded. "I wondered what it'd be like."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that. I think you put up walls against getting a boyfriend because you'd done it once before."

I frowned. "And what makes you think that?"

Shaun grinned. "Because someone wrote about it."

He pulled-up a file on his computer that showed a journal that was easily two-hundred or three-hundred years old. The journal belonged to Walter Hugh, in 1746.

"And this guy, Walter Hugh, kept writing about a girl with golden eyes," Shaun said, elbowing my ribs playfully.

I huffed. "Could be anyone…"

"Sure, sure." Shaun brought up one of the pages. "But, last I checked, not all girls with golden eyes have scars on their abdomen and left shoulder."

I crossed my arms. "Didn't I tell you to stop looking into my business?"

"I did… for about ten seconds. Forgive me, but I'm not about to stop learning about a person whose lived nearly a thousand years. It's just… interesting! Fascinating!"

"You'd better stop or else you'll see what happens when you piss-off an Assassin."

"Oh _please_. I've seen Rebecca angry. _And_ Lucy. I'm pretty sure you can't be any worse."

_**1746**_

__"Holy—!"

I wasn't able to finish my sentence as I smashed into the ground. I pushed myself onto my hands and knees and spat out some of the cobblestones that had gotten into my mouth.

"God, I feel like a pancake." My stomach suddenly growled. "Great. I forgot that I haven't eaten in a few days. That's it; I'm _never_ eating another pancake from America _ever_ again!"

"There she is!" a guard yelled. "Get her!"

"And now it's time to run again." I got up and sprinted through the dark streets of London, trying my best to escape the guards that I'd acquired when I killed a Noble who had been oppressing the farmers working on his land. "It'd be great to have some Assassins to help out!"

"Get the Assassin!"

I looked back at them angrily. "Do you know how many times I've _heard_ that? Face it, you _won't_ catch me!" _Your goddamn ancestor's couldn't!_

I found a climbable spot and quickly scaled a building, only to jump off the end and into a wagon of hay.

"Thank _God_ that these things are still around! And placed so conveniently, too!" I sighed and waited for the guards to give up. "I should get a new contract as well… The King sure has a lot of enemies… And in his own country, too!"

When the coast was clear, I hopped out of the wagon and quietly made my way to the inn I was currently staying at. I hadn't found the Assassin's Bureau in London yet, as they were well-hidden.

"Troublesome," I muttered as I entered my room without making a sound. "I should really practice subtlety. I'm getting rusty…" I sighed. "Well, I'll do that in the morning. Time to sleep."

Just as I was getting into bed, a courier pigeon swooped onto my windowsill and stared at me. I groaned and took the message from the pigeon, and watched it fly away, leaving a present for me on the windowsill. I rolled my eyes and looked at the message.

_Sara Taylor,_

_ Word has already reached me of your deed tonight. Excellent work. However, in your next contract, it requires subtlety. So please, try to do it quietly. Your next task is this; a man who is plotting to kill me, named George Grayson, is attending the mask that my wife, Carolina, is holding. We—meaning, you and I—have not met face-to-face, and though I would like to meet the person who has been my Guardian Angel, I would ask that you attend the mask and do not speak to me unless it is of the utmost importance, lest we both are discovered, and you will be executed for killing that Noble tonight. However, I will leave a note at the end of my sleeve, so that when all of my guests greet me, you may slip it from my hand. I would also like to ask that you kill Grayson quietly, and lead him outside into the gardens, where some of my servants will be prepared to take his body and be rid of it. If, by chance, you are unsuccessful, and the threat on my life has increased, I would ask that you somehow inform me of this so that I may have enough time to hide myself from him, and you may freely attack Grayson._

_ Thank-you for your services, Miss Taylor._

George Augustus

I frowned. "Oh God… Dresses _again_? I knew it was a mistake to come to London…"


	23. The Silent Killer

Chapter Twenty-Two:

The Silent Killer

_**1204**_

__"Why are you still wearing your robes?" Chara asked me. "You will be easily recognizable to your enemies!"

I shrugged. "I will change when I have different clothes. I have not bothered to buy anything else, as I have had no intention of leaving the Brotherhood."

Chara sat beside me on the deck of the ship as we approached Constantinople. "Suna… why do you seem so sad?"

"I guess… I just do not know how to react. I have an older sister, and for many years, it was I who was the older sister. I have always been the one to protect my brothers, and it seems so… strange that I can also look for guidance from you."

"I will give you as much guidance as I can, Suna," Chara said. "However, it seems that you've grown up already. I have not made a very good older sister, as I did not go to Masyaf as soon as I could."

"You believed I was dead. You could not have known." _Still, would everything have been different had I met Chara sooner…?_

"And yet I cannot help but blame myself." Chara shrugged. "But it is no matter. If you believe that it is something to leave in the past, I will leave it. And then we can look forward with clear minds."

The boat ride to Constantinople was the first time I'd ever seen Chara without her cowl. She looked almost exactly like me, but with lighter hair and grey eyes. She looked like our mother, and even though I had a vague memory of my parents, I remembered her quite well. And, like our mother, Chara was always smiling.

"I think you are right," I said. "I will leave the past in the past. The future is ever approaching, and we must make the best of it."

_**1476**_

__"Claudia!" I shook her awake quickly. She was crying, and on the verge of screaming in her dreams. "Claudia! Svegliati, dannazione!"

Claudia's eyes sprang open, but her crying didn't stop. She sat up in bed and hugged me as tightly as she could, probably afraid about letting go of something else close to her.

"Smettere di piangere, Claudia. You're safe," I assured her while patting her on the back.

Claudia shook her head. "I can't! If I stop crying, then I feel like I would not have mourned them! Like I wouldn't have cared!"

"If you continue to cry, then they will be sad as well," I told her. "Claudia, Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio would have wanted you to move on. Move on with your life, but do not forget them."

Claudia's tears were stopping. She eventually pulled away from me and wiped her eyes. "Why did this happen? Padre, Federico…" She shook her head. "Petruccio… What could our family have done to deserve this?"

"It was not what your family did, Claudia. Someone framed you all, and the counter-documents Ezio delivered were… destroyed. But the man who did such a thing is dead now. It is one small step towards renewing the name 'Auditore'."

"I do not want our name to be renewed!" Claudia said sadly. "I just want my father and brothers back!"

I nodded. "I know, mio amico. There have been many times when I wished I had my own family back."

Claudia laid back down in her bed and brought the covers up to her neck. "What happened to your family?"

"They were either killed, or simply died," I said. "I have outlived them all. But I was once told to leave the past in the past, and so I will do so. It is the only way I can get up in the mornings, and go to sleep at night. Leave everything behind me, but carry the burden of sadness along with me. It is something I cannot escape, no matter where I go." I patted her head. "At least you still have Ezio, and your madre. Oh, and your pazzo uncle Mario."

Claudia nodded, smiling a bit. "Si, you are right, Sofia."

"I always am."

_**1746**_

___If I could be rid of one thing in this world, it would be dresses! _I thought sourly as I walked into Buckingham Palace, presenting my invitation to one of many guards. _Stupid King… Why can't I just kill Grayson _before_ he gets to the damn mask? It'd be so much easier…_

Whatever the case, I was inside. My dress was on (as much as I despised it), my mask was in place, and my hidden blades were hiding underneath the loose sleeves of the evil dress. I was ready to take another life.

I got in line to greet the King and Queen. Unfortunately, it was a long line. I sighed and waited, passing the time by looking at the massive painted portraits in the hall. When it was finally my turn, I had been waiting nearly twenty minutes. I bowed and kissed the right hands of both the King and Queen (as was custom), and deftly slipped the note from King George's sleeve. He didn't even seem to notice.

I found a secluded spot in the hall and checked the description. Tall, long white hair, hooked nose, and wearing purple garments with red trim. His mask matched his outfit. I sighed and crumpled the note, tossing it into the fire. Now, all I'd have to do was spot him. _Where are courtesans when you need them…?_

I leaned against the wall and studied the scene around me. Some in bright colours, some in dull colours, others in soft colours… everyone was happily dancing and meeting new people. The thing about a mask was that you could meet people, without fear of them judging you by recognizing your face. However, mask or no, nobody would recognize me.

"Be careful; if you stare at everyone so, all eyes will soon be upon you."

I frowned. "Is that so? Or are you simply trying to stop me from thinking and get me dancing?"

The voice belonged to a man in his early twenties, who was pale, with sharp chocolate eyes, had a stubble of a beard and medium-length black hair. He smiled devilishly.

"Perhaps. It isn't a crime."

"It might as well be. I don't like dancing, anyway."

I saw one of his eyebrows arch from underneath his mask. "Oh? Now, that is something I've not heard of before. A woman who does not like dancing…"

"And a man who is having trouble controlling his dancing urges." I smirked. "There are many other girls here. Ask them."

He shrugged. "If it is your wish." He held up a finger and smiled again. "But I will be back again. And I will get you to dance. I am persistent."

I rolled my eyes as he walked away and spotted my target. I waved to him subtly to get his attention, and then led him quietly to the gardens. Grayson attempted to grope me multiple times while I was leading him, which only made me want to kill him more. Finally, we reached the gardens, and I sunk a hidden blade into his heart. He fell beside the fountain, so I left him there and returned to the party.

_Now that's over,_ I thought, _and I can get out of this stupid thing! _And yet, on the way back to the inn, I couldn't help but feel like I was followed. _I can't do anything in this dress… If someone attacks me, I will defend myself. But I cannot run in this piece of shit!_

_**1204**_

__Chara and I found a home easily. Though Altair had accompanied us, he returned to Masyaf relatively quickly, as the Fourth Crusade was making its way through Constantinople and annoying the people greatly. The Templars had used that to their advantage, but Altair had been successful in creating a Brotherhood in the other places he visited. It had already been a month since I started living with my sister, and as much as I missed Altair, Maria, Darim, Sef and Malik, I was happy.

But, like many things, it must come to an end.

"Suna, can you hand me that plate?" Chara asked.

I nodded and gave the clay plate to her. "What are you going to do with it?"

She smashed it on the ground. "Make some room."

I sighed and cleaned up the mess. Chara and her methods were strange, but they were sometimes needed. I understood that much about my sister.

I heard a knock when I finished cleaning up the remains of the plate. "I will get it," I told Chara.

She nodded. "If it is that man I've been telling you about, tell him I am not interested in a husband quite yet."

I nodded and opened the door. Whatever greeting I had was lost when four blades pierced my chest, guts, and both shoulders. Four men charged through the door and stabbed the blade into the wall opposite the door, pinning me to it. I learned over the past year that, despite the fact that I could heal, the pain was unavoidable. I screamed in agony, unable to hold it back.

"_SUNA_!" Chara screamed.

The four men were quickly joined by three others, and all were in the same white armour with a red cross on their chests. Two grabbed Chara and held her arms behind her back as she tried to run for me.

One of the men laughed. "So, our informant was right this time! The Assassin with the golden eyes is in Constantinople! Strange that you did not hear us, Assassin!"

I groaned; it was the only way I could avoid screaming. "Should I have gotten out the good cutlery?" I asked, smirking.

A few Templars laughed, but the one who seemed to be the leader was not amused. He brought up his hand and back-handed me across the face. In retaliation, I kicked out my legs and caught him in the chest.

He brought out the swords in my chest and gut, and stabbed them into my legs. I screamed as more blood poured from my body, but the Templars only laughed. Chara was in hysterics.

"How does it feel, Assassin?" the lead Templar asked. "Do you feel death's cold embrace? You will go straight to Hell, Assassin. The Devil will welcome you with open arms!"

I spat some blood into his face. "If I go to Hell, then you must be going someplace far, far worse. Last I checked, fighting for the freedom of man was a good thing."

He wiped it off of his face and scowled. "You will die for that, Assassin!"

Instead of waiting, I slowly shifted the position of my arms. It stung and seemed to burn, but I gritted my teeth and grabbed hold of the swords in my legs. I ripped them out just as the lead Templar brought his axe down, and I blocked his blow. As he recovered, I ripped out the blades in my shoulders and dropped to the ground, grunting as I fell to the floor.

I tossed two of the blades at the Templars holding Chara. "Run!" I commanded as the swords were embedded into their skulls. "Chara, run!"

She did as I said and bolted out of the house. I hoped it wasn't into more Templars. I grabbed the remaining two swords and held them up, against the five Templars inside.

"You are merely delaying the inevitable!" the lead Templar shouted. "Just die!"

I parried his blow and stabbed one of the swords into a Templar behind him, then the last into another. With three left, I activated my hidden blade and sunk it into the lead Templar's skull, then grabbed his axe and swung it around into both the skulls of the remaining Templars.

I collapsed onto the ground as more blood poured from my body. I'd never been through worse, but it seemed like I knew I wasn't going to die.

Still, I forced myself to my feet and went outside, where the district was burning. I hurried after Chara, hoping that I'd find her soon so we could escape. I searched as fast as I could, checking everywhere. And then I finally found her.

"CHARA! _NO_!" I ran to her, but I knew I was already too late. She had stopped breathing only moments before I found her. Tears stained her smoke-stained face, as well as my own. I couldn't stop the sobs coming from myself, even if I'd wanted to. "Chara! Chara… _Please_!"

I gently closed her eyes and held her body close, praying that she wouldn't really be dead, even though I knew the truth. I felt as if a piece of me had been forcefully ripped away, and with all my training, I couldn't do a thing. I don't know how long I stayed there, sitting on the ground, holding my sister's body, smoke and screams filling the air around us… I just know that I did not want to let go. I knew that Maria had taught me that death was a natural part of life, but I knew I would not be able to let go of my older sister.

I heard a laugh behind me. Suddenly, my sadness dulled and rage replaced it. _They_ killed my sister. _They_ murdered her in cold blood. She was an innocent!

I gently laid Chara back onto the ground and turned to the person who'd laughed. But, it turned out, it was not just one person. There was an entire army of Templars ahead of me. I activated my hidden blade as the rest drew their longswords.

"Give up, Assassin!" one roared.

I didn't give them an answer. My words would be wasted on those monsters. Instead, I ran at them and stabbed at whomever my blade could reach. I ignored the pain as they stabbed my body, and instead focused on slaughtering them all. _Every_ _one_ would have to die by my blade before Chara would have any chance of peace. I stabbed, slashed, dodged, broke necks and spines, but there seemed to be an infinite amount. Still, I attacked. The bodies I left behind me were many, but the Templars were still convinced that they could kill me. As the last fell, I repeatedly stabbed him, screaming profanities and curses. I did not stop for the longest time, even as the buildings started to fall around me and the smoke became thicker.

Finally, someone grabbed my left wrist, stopping me from stabbing the body. I struggled against their grasp, ignoring their pleas to stop.

And then they forced me to look at them. It was _Altair_.

"Suna! Stop! We must escape!" he said, and let my exhausted body lean on his own.

Though it did not take long to get to the ship, it felt like an eternity. It was on the ship where I broke down and started to sob my eyes out. I couldn't even pretend to be strong for my own sake. I'd just lost the last piece of my flesh and blood, and now I was leaving her behind. Forever.


	24. Vittoria Agli Assassini

Chapter Twenty-Three:

Vittoria Agli Assassini

_**1204**_

__After my tears finally stopped, and we reached Masyaf, everything I did felt lacking, or incomplete. It took only a month and a few days to get close to my sister, and now it was all for nothing. Training only reminded me of the many ways I could have saved her, eating made me remember all of the time we'd spent laughing, and sleep only brought nightmares of that night in Constantinople.

And so, I sat on my bed, without training, without sleep, and nothing to eat. Whenever I closed my eyes I saw Chara's corpse, and so I tried my best not to blink. However, I was not so successful at it. Darim and Sef did not come to visit me, because they knew that they would only bring me more sadness. I would have thanked them, but I had not spoken in days. I only stared at the stone wall beside my door, and blanked all thought from my mind. And yet, thought continued to jab at my head.

My room finally became too much to bear, so I left it and climbed up to the place where I'd performed my first Leap of Faith.

"Suna." I barely registered Maria's voice. "Suna, I am at a loss for words. I simply do not know what I can say that would help."

I shook my head slowly. "Say nothing, as nothing can be said."

Maria sighed. "We… intercepted a message from the Templars. It detailed that they were going to attack you. Altair returned to Constantinople to warn you, but…"

_But he was too late. Chara… My sister was already dead._

"Chara said that I should leave the past in the past," I said quietly. "But I am not sure if I can. She was my sister…"

"Listen to me, Suna!" Maria suddenly exclaimed. I gave her a surprised look, as I was not accustomed to her having such outbursts. "Your sister was a brave woman! I am sure that those tears she'd shed before God took her were of happiness! Happiness that she finally found you! And hope that you would be safe! Your sister wanted you to smile, and you would do well to remember that!" Maria grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look into her eyes. "Your sister _loved_ you, Suna! Do not squander her memory by withering away. Be a better person, and learn from this experience. You will carry this burden of sadness for a long time, and though the pain may dull, it will not fully be gone. But there are ways to cope." She flicked my forehead. "Do not forget about others. There are still people in this world who love you, and would lay down their lives to protect you. And I am sure that, before you join Chara in Heaven, there will be many, many more."

I nodded slowly. "I… suppose you are right, but—."

"No 'buts'!" Maria scolded. "I am always right! Remember; the women of this family are always right!"

I laughed, wondering how Maria would feel if she were proven wrong. Then again, I'd never seen such a thing. "As you wish, Maria."

_**1476**_

__"Grazie, Suna," Claudia said, "for last night."

"Not a problem," I replied. "I am used to this kind of thing."

Claudia sat beside me on the stairs as we watched Mario beat-up Ezio. _He still has some training to do…_

"Really?" Claudia asked. "You do not seem like you do it often."

"What gave you that impression?"

"Your pats on the back are awkward."

I smiled. "I guess they are. I sometimes forget how it feels to touch someone without stabbing my blade into them. Scusa."

Claudia smiled, but weakly. "So… what happened to your family?"

"Like I said; they were killed or simply died."

"No, I mean specifically. Did you have siblings? What about your parents?"

I sighed. "Are you truly that curious?"

Claudia nodded. "I am."

"You know that curiosity killed the cat."

"Yet satisfaction brought it back."

I smiled. "Your wit has certainly improved, mio amico." I stayed silent for a few minutes longer, watching as Mario tripped Ezio, which made me chuckle a bit. "I had siblings, si. And parents. My mother was killed by the same man who killed my youngest brother, two years after his death. There was also a man I considered to be family, and he died the very same day my mother did, by the blade of the very same man. I also had an older sister, but the men belonging to the organization your zio and fratello are fighting now killed her. I had not known her long, but she was someone I had to protect. Truth is, she was the only one of my siblings who were actually related by flesh and blood to me. I did not even share the same genes as with the people I considered to be my padre and madre."

"You were adopted?"

I nodded. "In a sense. I found a family with them, and they welcomed me with open arms and smiling faces. Yet, I was sometimes cold to them. Not because I did not like them; but because I did not know how to react to a family. I was four years old when my real parents were killed. Death surrounds me like a disease, and yet, here I am; alive and breathing."

"So… you have no one left?"

I smiled and laughed. "I still have you Auditores, don't I? Mario and I are old friends, anyway."

"But you are so young!" Claudia exclaimed.

I grinned. "I would tell you about it, but everyone is entitled to their secrets. And as far as your lesson about me goes, that is enough for a long time. Now, let's see how you are doing with that dagger of yours!"

_**2012**_

__I peeked around the corner and saw Lucy by her computers, hiding her face behind her hands. Desmond, Shaun and Rebecca had gone to town, while Lucy and I were staying in the Sanctuary, just-in-case.

"Yo, Lucy? You okay?" I asked.

Lucy snapped to attention. "Y-Yeah… fine…"

"Wow. That was _really_ convincing," I said sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm convinced."

Lucy shook her head. "Seriously, it's nothing."

"Non mentire a me e dire che," I scolded.

Lucy paused. "What the hell did you just say?"

"I said, 'Don't lie to me and say that'," I recited. "You want me to say it in Italian again?"

"No, that's fine."

I sat on her desk and faced her. "Then tell me what's up."

"I…" Lucy hesitated. "I checked into your memory nodes…"

"Ah. So Shaun isn't the only one who decided not to listen to me." I shook a finger. "Appearances can be deceiving, Lucy. Just because I look like a kid, doesn't mean I am one. Stop taking advantage of that."

Lucy nodded. "I know… It's just… I saw the memory from when you went to Constantinople the _first_ time."

I sighed and leaned back. "You saw my sister."

Lucy was quiet. I sighed again and let my head fall back. "Chara was a good person. She's been dead for hundreds of years now, so it doesn't matter. One day, when the Apple that Altair held is destroyed, I'll join her, and I'll join everyone else I've outlived. I'll get to see everyone again, so death is something I can honestly look forward to. Is it so wrong to be excited for the time when one stops breathing forever? I believe I'm ready for anything after this life that I have outlived."

_**1746**_

__I was awakened from my dreams when I heard a knock at my door. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head, hoping that whoever it was would leave. _It is the middle of the night!_ I thought sourly. _I'm trying to rest!_

Another knock, louder this time. "In the name of the King, open this door!"

I gulped. _Shit! The guards! Must be about that Noble a few nights ago… At least I wasn't discovered in Grayson's "disappearance" last night._

I shot out of bed and threw on my Assassin's Robes, and quickly put my weapons in their place as the knocking got louder. I opened the window and silently climbed out, then grabbed my coin purse just as the guards burst through the door. I took-off running, sprinting through the streets. But it seemed that I was a wanted criminal, as every guard I came across started to chase me as well. I soon was far ahead of them, but I was gasping for air. Not because I was unfit, but because the guards seemed to have learned their lesson on heavy armour.

I eventually made it into a park, but just as I passed a tree someone grabbed my arm. Unprepared, the stranger used my momentum against me and pinned me against the tree, shrouding me in his dark cloak. I knew that, if a person were to look at us then, it would appear that we were sharing an… "intimate" moment.

Soon, the guards sprinted past us. A few stopped to examine us from a distance, but such a thing seemed to be a regular occurrence in London. They left as soon as they'd stopped.

I realized then that I'd been holding in a breath. I let it out and breathed deeply, taking in the pine scent of the park, and of the man.

"It seems your friends have left," he said. "I must say, I am surprised that they would chase a woman at night. I thought the guard had better things to do."

I sighed. "It seems not. Thank-you, sir."

"No problem." He backed away from the to let me out. "What would the world be like without Knights who save women running from guards?" He paused a moment, then added with a smirk. "Very well-armed women, might I add."

"Oh, sorry. Were you expecting me to have stolen their tea and biscuits?"

He chuckled. "No. That's stereotypical, my lady. I must take offence to that."

"You 'must'?"

"Because I am English, obviously."

"_No_, really?" I sighed, but smiled. "Well, thank-you, but I must be on my way."

He smiled. "So soon? But I just started trying to be charming!"

I rolled my eyes. "There could be more guards, or the others could have—." A bullet flew past my ear and embedded itself in the tree, just missing the man's shoulder. "—circled back to look for me."

I sighed and turned to face the guards, but the man put an arm ahead of me. "Excuse me! We were having a conversation!" he scolded. "What is the meaning of _shooting_ at us?"

"In the name of the King, that woman you're protecting must be arrested!" a guard said, drawing his sword and approaching. "She killed Baron Burnsley!"

The man glanced back at me. "Is this true?"

I groaned. "Move out of the way! I guess I can't exactly avoid a conflict right now, and I'd rather if someone didn't get shot on my account!" I pushed him out of the way and faced the guards, drawing my shortblade. "If you want to arrest me, come and try it! And just to warn you; shooting me will not help in the least!"

The guards ran at me, their swords raised high. I parried the first blow and ducked underneath a swing, before I jumped to avoid another blade and rolled on the ground, putting the guards in-between the man and myself.

I smiled. "Well, that settles that." I replaced my shortblade onto my back and started running. Gunshots rang through the air as they tried to shoot me, but the trees were my cover. However, someone got in a lucky shot, and the bullet tore through my shoulder. I lost my balance and rolled on the ground, but got up just as quickly and continued running, my bloody shoulder brushing up against several of the trees. I climbed a tree with low branches (so I wouldn't over-extend my shoulder) and hid, and smiled as I watched the guards run past.

_Now, I just have to find a place to hide-out until my shoulder heals up, and until the guards forget about me. _I sighed. _I make it sound so easy…_


	25. Parents Must Know Their Daughters

Chapter Twenty-Three:

Parents Must Know Their Daughters

_**1205**_

__"Is the killing really worth it?"

I sighed. "It matters not what I think is full of worth and what is not. What matters is the goal, and the purpose this gives me."

Jabal smiled. "But the lives you take… those people have families."

"Your questions about my resolve are beginning to annoy me," I told the old Rafiq. "This is tiring. I am going to sleep until tomorrow, since my target will not come out until tomorrow…"

"I was not questioning your resolve, Suna," Jabal said as I headed for the spare room in the back of the Bureau. "I was merely checking if you'd hardened your heart."

"Even _I_ know the answer to that, Jabal." I frowned. "I fear that it may never be hardened."

"And yet, only your face is hardened." Jabal shook his head. "I believe it is because you are a woman that you are unable to harden your heart."

I rolled my eyes. "Being a woman does not mean I am any different from any man, Jabal! I thought you knew that!"

"It is not a bad thing!" Jabal said quickly. "What I mean is that it makes you better! However, that thick skull of yours… that could use some softening."

I ignored him and went into the spare room, where I quickly cleaned my face of all the dirt from the streets of Damascus, then I laid on my bed and closed my eyes. God willing, I would fall into a dreamless sleep. But, then again, I was never that lucky.

When I'd awakened, it was dawn. I groaned and snuck out of the Bureau, taking a feather with me. I ran to the rich district and waited patiently for Azul Nekul, a Templar who had a bad habit of taking money from the poor district and over-taxing the middle-class. I stood at the edge of a tower and watched as he walked with his guards to his palace, and quickly decided what would be the best course of action. I leaped off of the tower and landed in a wagon full of hay, then quietly followed Azul. When we reached his palace, the guards blocked the entrance. I ran around and scaled the walls, afraid I might lose sight of him.

I dropped to the ground and spotted him in a window, so I scaled his palace and waited by the window. But after a few minutes, it became evident that he wasn't walking by the window again. As I started to pull myself into the window, I heard voices, so I let myself drop back out. Just in time, as several other men came in to talk with Azul.

"Our losses last year were… incredible," one of the men said. "The Fourth Crusade certainly butchered the army you sent, Azul."

"I know this, Sulal," Azul said. "And I know that it has been an exceptional strain on our Order to make up for those losses. But at least we killed the Assassin with the golden eyes."

One of the men cleared his throat. "We… may not have killed her, Azul. The very same Assassin is still being reported. We may have killed the wrong girl."

There was a pause. "Dajim… Sulal… You withheld this information from me for an entire year? Then who was the girl who you killed? I was under the impression that you'd killed everyone within that district!"

"Further studies of the bodies suggested that they were all killed with those blades the Assassins wield on their wrists," Sulal said. "Every one of our men were killed in that manner, and yet there were very little civilian casualties. None of them had golden eyes. The strangest eye colour we saw was grey, and, besides that, the owner of those eyes matched the description of the golden-eyed Assassin almost perfectly."

"What are you saying?" Azul snapped.

"We may have killed someone close to the golden-eyed Assassin," Dajim explained. "And, in retaliation, she murdered our army."

"Our _army_? I can understand several hundred Assassins taking on our army, but _one_? You speak madness!" Azul started to pace as my heart stopped. I had to fight every fibre of my being to jump in and kill them all, but I knew I had to listen further. "The Assassin would have been killed, or wounded severely, and died not long after! And the fires, the smoke! There is no possible way she could have survived!"

"And yet she is still killing our brethren." Dajim sighed. "You had best find a place to hide. She may yet find out about what you did, and come after you."

Azul nodded. "Yes. I suppose I must. Leave me; I must plan my next move."

Sulal and Dajim left the room. Azul sat in a chair and swore several times as I climbed in through the window.

"You…" I clenched my fists as Azul turned to look at me. "You're the one who killed her…"

"Shit!" Azul sprang up from the chair and ran to the door, but I grabbed his collar and shoved him towards the window. He nearly fell out, and turned to face me. "Assassin! What do you want?"

"Your life, obviously." I activated my hidden blade and held it to his throat. "I would say nothing personal, but after hearing you… You killed my _sister_!"

"Sister?" Azul exclaimed. "I-I am sure we can work this out! What is it you want? What can I give you to spare my life? Money? How about an entire army under your control? Please, you do not want to kill me!"

"Actually, I do." I stabbed him in the throat and wiped the feather on his neck, taking the blood. "Now my sister may rest in peace." I shoved his body out the window, and watched as it hit the water below.

_**1500**_

__"So, my sister knows how to wield a knife," Ezio remarked.

Claudia smiled and spun the blade in her hand. "And I am ready to do it again!"

"Spoken like a true Auditore."

"Finally! You two have come to your senses!" Maria made me smile at that; something that Ezio caught out of the corner of his eye. "It's about time!"

I laughed. "I see my training has not gone to waste, Claudia."

"Twenty years of practice, and I've only ever killed four people…" Claudia shook her head. I knew that she was wondering how many lives Ezio had taken, and, for the matter, myself. "I guess it is nothing I should be upset about."

Ezio patted me on the shoulder. "I guess I was wrong to worry so much."

"Oh mio dio. Is Ezio Auditore admitting he is wrong?" I pretended to be enthralled. "One moment. Let me take this in. I may never hear you willingly admit you were wrong and I was right ever again."

"Malandrina…" Ezio muttered.

I grinned. "Let me have my fun, Auditore. I do not get much these days."

Maria grinned. "So, my son, why is it you insist that you are right when arguing with Sofia?"

"You should all know; someone once told me that the women in my family are always right." I grinned. "That gives me immunity to you, Auditore."

_**2012**_

__"Hey, Sam," Rebecca said, "I was wondering if you'd answer something for me…"

I shrugged. "Depends. What is it?"

"I wanted to know what happened to you and that guy Walter Hugh."

One of my eyebrows rose. "Can't you just check my memory nodes like everyone else has?"

"I could, but I'm _asking_ you." She smiled weakly. "I figured it'd be a nice change, and I have some time. Desmond's session is going smoothly, so all I need to monitor is his brainwaves, which is easy enough."

I sighed. "In all honesty, I don't like to talk about it."

"Well, I know you two didn't exactly have a 'happily ever after'. And your second attempt was… disastrous. We know how that ended, though I gotta say it's not how I expected." Rebecca put her hands together, as if she were praying. "_Please_?"

I smiled and laughed at her. "Goddammit! You guys remind me of so many people! Though, Rebecca, you're more like Claudia, Lucy is like Maria—."

"Which one?" Lucy asked from her desk.

"Both," I answered. "And Shaun… He seems almost like Malik to me; a total and complete know-it-all."

"Yeah? Well at least I got both arms!" Shaun snapped.

"Having one arm isn't exactly bad," I said, shrugging. "You just can't type as fast or accurately, is all." I tapped my chin. "Yeah, I know that we didn't exactly have a happy ending. I was sad about it, but I had to move on. That's pretty much what I'm telling myself now, so I can get over Michael."

"That's probably one of the coldest things you can say about dead people," Shaun remarked.

"Yeah? Well, too damn bad." I sighed. "Rebecca, just check the memory nodes. I don't like to talk about it, anyway."

_**1746**_

__"Strange how we seem to continue meeting in this manner," the man remarked as the soldiers ran past the alley that the man had pulled me into only seconds before. "I seem to be very fortunate."

"I think, sir, that you are following me." I frowned at him. His cloak was shielding us both, and helping us blend into the darkness. "And that you are planning for these guards to chase me down onto routes you've specified."

"A serious allegation, from a murderer." The man smirked at me as the last of the guards passed by the alley. "Still, I believe I should thank you. Baron Burnsley killed my father and got away with it because of the help in Parliament. Had you not killed him, I would have… eventually." He glanced at my shoulder, where there was a blood stain from the previous night. "You were wounded?"

"It was just a bullet. Nothing to worry about." I shuffled out of his cloak and breathed in the night's fresh air. "I need to get going. Thank-you, again. But I'm not going to hang around to get shot by those guards again."

Before I could run out of the alley, he grabbed my wrist. I turned to look at him, a curious look plastered onto his face. "Your eyes are a curious colour, did you know?"

"Yes, I do." I wriggled my wrist from his grasp and started down the alley.

"You can't leave that way," the man said.

I laughed. "Who says?" I ran up the wall and sat on the edge. "It seems absolutely fine to me!"

I let myself fall back into an awaiting haystack, and then ran for it. Something caught my eye, though; the Assassin's Seal, hiding within an intricate drawing on a building. I pressed it in, and entered through a secret door that had emerged.

"Brilliant," I muttered as the door shut behind me.

I ducked, as I heard a blade coming at me, and brought out my shortblade. I blocked a longsword headed for my chest, and suddenly, fires flared up everywhere, illuminating the gigantic room before me. Several people dressed in white Assassin's robes, some with their hoods up, and others with their hoods down, had their weapons drawn and pointing at me.

"Well, it's not much of a welcome when you don't tell me where the hell the Bureau is, and when I finally find it, you draw your blades." I shrugged. "I guess I'm not very popular, am I?"

The Assassins smiled and replaced their blades, and so I followed suite. One clapped me on the back and laughed.

"Sara Taylor! We were wondering when you'd finally show up!" she remarked. "What took you so long?"

"Well, you didn't exactly give me directions…" I grinned sheepishly. "But I'm here now. So, what's been going on, Diana?"

"So you _did_ remember me!" she exclaimed, letting her hood fall and her golden curls to spill over her shoulders. "I was afraid you'd completely forget about me!"

"_Forget_ the girl who leaped onto a _Cardinal_ to stop her fall in the Vatican?" I laughed. "I will not forget _that_ any time soon, my friend!"

_**1205**_

__Altair frowned. "So… Azul Nekul's body was found floating in the pond in his home."

I handed him the feather. "Yes… What of it?"

"I know you, Suna; you would not do something like that carelessly. He was also found stabbed in the throat."

"How horrible."

Altair rubbed the stubble on his face. "Well, that was the most convincing condolence I've ever heard. Suna, just try to be more careful next time. Careless acts like that will destroy what we've been working to accomplish."

Altair turned to leave my room when I said, "He was the one who killed my sister. I know that the way I did it was not the way I should have killed him, but… I needed to finally give my sister some peace."

"Then I hope you accomplished that," Altair said. "But Suna; Chara will only be at peace when you are."


	26. The Road to Glory

Chapter Twenty-Five:

The Road to Glory

_**1746**_

__I motioned for Diana and a few recruits to keep their voices down as some guards passed us by. We scaled the walls of the manor and snuck around quietly, keeping the sound of our breathing to a minimum. I pointed to a room where our target was sleeping and motioned for Diana and the recruits to go inside. They went inside for all of two minutes before screaming started. The recruits charged out and ran for the exit. I heard the sound of blades clashing and ran inside the room. Diana was engaging our target in combat, his lover screaming in the bed. I stabbed my hidden blade into his neck from behind and then tossed a shirt that had been strewn about the room to his lover.

"Put some clothes on! You'll want to look sensible for when the guards come, yes?" I told her, and then shoved Diana out the door. She ran for the exit, me right behind her. "Run, dammit!"

We skidded to a halt and ran to a window when the door burst open, and the guards opened-fire on us. The window was locked, along with several others. When we finally found an open window, the guards had caught up with us, and opened fire. I covered Diana's body with my own and took the bullets, yelling in pain as they ripped through my body, but I managed to get her out. A guard held me with his arms locking around my shoulders, rendering my arms useless. I brought my head back and broke his nose, then dropped to the ground as he tended to it. That was when I leaped out of the window, following Diana.

"Sara!" Diana yelled.

"Keep running!" I ordered. "Don't worry about me! Just go!"

I climbed onto the roof of the mansion and gasped in air. _Dammit! I really wish I would just die and stop having to go through this every day! _I tripped over a tile as I was stumbling about and violently smashed my head against the roof. _Great! As if I weren't bleeding from enough places already!_

"Stop the Assassin!"

"Didn't we go through this before? Stop saying that!" I roared, and started for the edge of the rooftop. As the guards finally reached me, I fell backwards off of it. "See you later!"

I plunged into the water and started to swim for the other side of the river. Unfortunately, I was followed.

"Shit!" I cursed as one of the guards tried to put my head under. "I thought you guys couldn't swim!"

As I activated my hidden blade, he shoved my head under the water and held it there. Able to die or not, my lungs were burning and I was screaming for air as I shoved the hidden blade into the guard's helmet and into his skull. He stopped holding me under immediately, but my struggles to reach the surface had ceased as well.

_**1205**_

__The Templar's blade came swinging at my throat. I leaned backwards and then sprang back up, blocking another longsword with my hidden blade. My gloved hand was grasping the blade of yet another Templar, stopping him from slicing my gut open. I held them in place, but with difficulty. The last Templar stabbed at me, but I managed to just barely move out of the way and bring up my leg to kick him in the face. I ducked, bringing my hidden blade along with me as a swing came above my head, and plunged the blade into the Templar whose sword I was holding with my hand. That done, I whirled around and stabbed the other with the blade I was still holding, and then finished the last one off by stabbing him in the neck.

I panted as their bodies fell to the ground. Altair seemed finished with the other Templars, and came to stand beside me.

"They were unwise to attack Masyaf when we are so strong," Altair remarked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"They are testing us, Grandmaster," I observed. "A pre-emptive strike. They wish to know when it will be best to attack us. Who knows? They are probably stopping our supply lines right now. I suggest we send scouts forward and see how our supplies are doing, and stop the Templars if they are doing what I suspect."

Altair nodded. "I shall, but I have no Assassins to spare right now. And you are to help me guard the village, so you are not going either."

I frowned. "Very well, Grandmaster."

"But as soon as some Assassins return, I will—."

"Why don't you go with Darim and Sef?" I suggested. "Give them experience in the best way possible?"

Altair hesitated, but seemed to get my point. "I can. I will go with them. We will ride tomorrow, and I am placing Malik in charge until I return with my sons."

I smiled. "As you wish, Grandmaster." _You need to spend more time with them, anyway. I need to get you away from that "Piece of Eden"._

_**1746**_

__"Ugh…" I groaned. "Not good…"

"Seems not, but the damage is actually very good. Too good."

I gulped. _Aw, hell. I know that voice…_

"And it seems as though you're recovering rather quickly. Though it is strange, I admit I am relieved." The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, and he'd seemed to be reading before I gave away the fact that I was awake. "I almost thought you were dead. What a pity, if you'd died. I wouldn't even know the name of my family's saviour."

I felt my face get extremely red for some reason. Now that we were in the light, I could see his features much better. Jet-black hair, sharp brown eyes, the tiniest hint of a stubble forming on his face, and a devilish smile. _What a moment, is he…?_

"You're the man from the mask?" It sounded more like a statement, but it was a question nonetheless.

He grinned. "I _knew_ my instincts weren't fooling me when I saw those eyes of yours," he said. "They're far too… unique. Cat-like, even."

I sighed and sat up in bed, and then realised I wasn't in my clothing. He laughed as my face came to its boiling point.

"Don't worry; I did not take off your clothes. My maid, Meredith, insisted I stay outside the room until she'd finished changing you." He poked my chin. "And you're covered in bandages now, so it's completely fine that I'm in here watching you."

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you watching me, especially if the only thing that's stopping you from seeing my female parts are bandages."

He placed a bookmark in his book and closed it, then set it beside my bed. "Oh, please. I'm a Knight saving women from guards, remember?"

"And a Knight whose name I have not had the pleasure of learning." _Damn! I didn't mean to say _pleasure_! Shit!_

One of his eyebrows rose, but the smile remained plastered to his face. "Walter Hugh," he told me. "My name is Walter Hugh."

"Nice to meet you," I said. "My name's Sara. Sara Taylor."

"Your accent… You spent some time in the Americas, am I right?"

"And some other places," I answered, smirking.

"A lot of time in Italy."

I laughed. "You noticed my accent, then?"

"Some Syrian too."

"Okay, now that's just creepy."

It was Walter's turn to laugh. "I can't help it! Ever since I can remember, I've been good at detecting things not many people can. It's helped me through my studies, and I'm very grateful for it!"

If he were to say anything else, I would never know. A woman in a white apron with grey beneath it came charging in, grabbing Walter's book and started to violently beat him on the head with it.

"Get out! I told you not to come in until I'd properly dressed her!" the woman screeched.

"B-But Meredith—!"

She shoved him out the door and threw the book after him, and from the cry only a second afterwards, I safely assumed she hit him with it. "_Out_!" I couldn't control my laughter as Meredith shut the door behind her, mumbling curses towards Walter from under her breath.


	27. Close As You Can Get

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Close As You Can Get

_**1478**_

__"Francesco de' Pazzi is dead," Ezio told his uncle.

"And so is whatever was left of his dignity," I added haughtily. "I think the guards were… distracted, to be honest."

Ezio smiled weakly. "Well… si. Lorenzo de Medici gave me this Codex page."

Ezio handed the page to Mario, who quickly looked it over before putting it on the wall, where the other pages were. "This is not your father's writing."

"It was decrypted by a friend. Leonardo da Vinci. We can trust him," Ezio assured his uncle quickly.

Mario seemed satisfied, and spoke to his nipote, but privately, as I had slipped out of sight. I prayed with Maria for a time to give her company, and then went to find Claudia.

"Still at the books I see," I said.

Claudia frowned. "I do not like it."

"You would rather be sweaty from training with your knife?"

"Strangely enough, I would." Claudia's frown disappeared, and was replaced by a friendly smile. "What news do you bring?"

"Ezio's probably going back to Firenze to meet with Lorenzo." I shrugged. "Lorenzo is probably going to give him something to show his appreciation for saving his life, and his family." I paused, and then added, "Well, _most_ of them."

Claudia nodded. "I can understand that. Ezio works very hard… but I sometimes wonder about the things he does…"

I laughed. "Don't worry! I'll keep him in line! The women in my line of work, well, we work twice as hard! So I'll keep your stupid brother on the straight and narrow! Or so help me, I'll rip his lungs out from his eye sockets…"

"Um… Maybe something a little less violent, okay Suna?" Claudia laughed weakly and rubbed the back of her head. "After all, that doesn't seem physically possible."

"Really? Well, I once saw a man shove his arms down his own throat and bring his intestines up through it. Disgusting, but really interesting to watch."

"Sul serio?" Claudia exclaimed. "You must be lying!"

I shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Claudia."

_**2012**_

__"Hey, Sam!" Shaun called.

I glanced over at him, the annoyance clear on my face. Those tiny bluetooth devices that you put on your ear were slipping off of mine, and it was giving me grief.

"What?" I barked.

Shaun seemed to do a smile/frown thing. "Ryan messaged you back."

I hesitated, unsure of what I would say or what I _could_ say. My adoptive brother, like Ezio, Federico, Petruccio, Sef and Darim before him… What could I tell him? He wasn't an Assassin. He wasn't part of the world that I was. He didn't know _anything_.

But still, I went over to see what he'd written back.

_Sam,_

Those guys took us somewhere, but they forgot that they'd given us your e-mail… wherever you are. Tyler and I are locked in a cellar, and it's starting to get cold. The last time we saw them was yesterday. Or maybe the day before? I don't even know what day it is. No sun gets through here, and we're trying to preserve the candle that they tossed down here, with matches. How thoughtful your friends are.

_ I'm not sure how much longer I can tell Tyler "It's all right", when not even I can believe my words. Why are they doing this Sam?_

_ I have to go. I have to conserve the battery power on my phone. Help us._

Ryan

My breath caught in my throat. "T-Templars…"

"What?" Shaun read the e-mail as I backed away slowly. "Oh no… They got… They must've taken out our team as they rescued your brothers."

My hands slowly clenched into fists. I shook with fury, and felt as if I would explode. I couldn't believe I felt tears come to my eyes. It seemed, with all my years and training, I was always going to be a teenager.

"I'll _kill_ them…" I whispered, and then my voice rose. "I'LL KILL EVERY ONE OF THOSE BASTARDS!"

I sprinted outside, thinking only of my brothers. _How could the Templars have overpowered us? Where are they? _An image of Sef popped into my head. My little brother… dead. _That won't happen! Not to Tyler, or Ryan! I won't let it!_

"Sam!" Desmond grabbed my arm as I reached the gate.

"Let go of me!" I commanded. "I have to—! Ryan and Tyler… The Templars!"

"Lucy told me over the headset!" Desmond said quickly. "Sam, how could you reach them? They're in America! You can't run there!"

"I'll find a way! And if I can't… I'll swim there! I'll drown, I'll die of starvation, I'll die of exhaustion or dehydration, but I'll still go after those fucking Templars! I won't let them take anything else away from me!" I realised the tears had started to run down my face, and I wasn't just shaking with anger. "I've lost too much! I _won't_ lose Ryan and Tyler! I _can't_! They're my _brothers_!"

Desmond pulled me in and hugged me tightly. "Sam… even though I know you can't die, I can't help but worry about it." He held me at arm's length and smiled as best he could. "Go. Your brothers need you. Whatever it takes, right?"

I nodded, and tried my best to smile back. "I'll… I'll be back. I promise. I'll help you see this through to the end, Des."

He let go of me. "Hey, you're technically, like, my greatest aunt in history. You'd better, or you'd be doing your nephew a hindrance!" He headed back to the Villa. "Sun's coming up. You'd better hurry."

I nodded and scaled the walls, then dropped down and started running. I brought out my phone and dialled a number, just because I knew what I had to do.

"Simon? It's Sam. Get me a ride, and a jet. ASAP."

_**1746**_

__"This is not hair!" Meredith screeched. "This is a matted mess!"

I laughed. "Someone told me that once! And she _hated_ how short it was!"

"And how tangled it is!" Despite my objections, Meredith was a tough woman, and eventually had me sitting down and letting her run a brush through my "matted mess".

I'd learned from her that Walter had been walking along (most definitely trying to find me… which he eventually did… unfortunately), and saw me washed up on the shore, unconscious. After he'd brought me to his home, Meredith called for a surgeon to take out the bullets, and he managed to find out that I had a lot of water in my lungs. He performed CPR, despite the fact I was breathing, and made me retch it up. I'd only been unconscious for about a day (no doubt for exhaustion. Stupid body… Can live forever, but all its systems? It's a bitch).

"Why do I have to get ready in this manner?" I asked.

The maid glared at me. It reminded me of the way Maria used to glare at me when I beat up a few of the male Assassins that had challenged me, and she would scold me about taking it easy on them.

"You are in the home of Sir Walter Hugh, and his son, Walter Hugh the second, now owns this grand place. However, his mother is still very much in charge, and his sister seems to take after her mother quite well…"

"Walter has siblings?"

The maid nodded. "Of course. Catherine Hugh is his youngest sibling. She's about your age, actually. And James Hugh is the older brother of Catherine and the younger brother of Walter. He and James are only a year apart. The children are very close."

I nodded. "When you have siblings, it is good to be close to them."

"You have siblings, my lady?"

I nodded. "I did. And please, none of that 'my lady' stuff. I'm hardly nobility."

"The way Walter talks about you, I'm surprised you aren't." Meredith put down the brush and handed me my robes, which had been repaired quite well. "Your weapons are downstairs in the study."

I quickly changed and gave Meredith my thanks, but before she left, she cleared her throat. "If I might, miss, what happened to your siblings?"

I sighed. "They were taken from me too soon. All of them younger than I. As their older sister, I had taken on a silent oath to protect them. Sometimes I could protect them, sometimes it was simply their time to go to God."

Meredith bowed her head. "I'm sorry to hear that."

I smiled as I finished dressing. "It doesn't matter. These things must be accepted."

"I suppose they must." Meredith led me down to the study, and we passed by several servants who were busy running errands. I couldn't lie; their place was _huge_. "But I can imagine it took some time."

"Everything takes time." I shrugged. "But time is not something that I am currently worried about."

As we reached the study, the door burst open and a young girl launched herself out the door, tackling Meredith to the ground in a hug.

"I'm back!" she cried. "Meredith, I'm back from boarding school!"

"Lady Catherine!" Meredith exclaimed. "It's nice of you to be back! Though, I must make a request that you get off of me."

I helped Catherine to her feet, and then Meredith. I felt a hand clap down on my shoulder as I brought the older woman to her feet.

"So, you've come to see me Miss Taylor?" Walter asked, smiling devilishly.

I frowned. "As if! I'm getting my weapons!" I looked in the study, but I didn't see any of my weapons. I turned to Walter in anger. "_Where_ are my weapons?"

"I hid them," he admitted bluntly, and then held up my shortblade. "Except for this. I quite like it. Made of silver, is it?"

"That's mine!" I grabbed for it, but Walter brought it out of my reach. I tried again and again, but he was using his height against me. "Give it back! Damn you!"

I was probably the reason Catherine was laughing so much, as I was jumping as high as I could. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and so I grabbed Walter's other wrist and flipped him onto the ground, taking my shortblade as he fell.

Walter looked up at me from the floor, and then broke out in a smile. "Strong for a girl."

"Girl's can be stronger than men. We have larger hearts, and smaller egos." I laughed at him. "And I guess size doesn't really matter, after all."

"Well, it might for a few things…"

I helped Walter get to his feet and then slid my shortblade into its rightful place on my back.

"Now, just give me the rest of my weapons, and I can get out of your hair," I said.

"But I like you being in my hair!" he whined.

I arched an eyebrow. "How old are you exactly?"

"Twenty-two."

I shook my head. "What a pain. Men, boys… there's really no difference."

"I must take offence to that, my lady!" Walter said, frowning.

"Oh please. Not this again…"

Catherine grabbed me from the back and hugged me. "Are you Walter's new girlfriend?"

My face instantly became hot, and my eyes wide. "_What_? _No_! Definitely not! He's just a crazy stalker!"

"Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell mother…" Catherine let me go and curtsied. "I am Catherine Hugh, daughter of Walter and Jeanine Hugh. Pleased to meet you…?"

I quickly bowed back. "Sara. Sara Taylor."

"From Syria and Italy," Walter added.

I brought my hand to my forehead and slapped it. My classic facepalm. "You're not helping, sir…"

"Syria?" Catherine examined me quickly. "Do all people from Syria have golden eyes?"

"No. Only me." I tapped my foot awkwardly and then grabbed Walter's collar and started to forcefully drag him around the house. "You will return to me my weapons, or I will gut you!"

"Death threats to a Noble…" I heard Meredith mutter. "Does that girl have any manners at all? Common sense, even?"

"I actually think it's refreshing," Catherine said. "Not much excitement, these days. A lovely change."


	28. An Apple A Day

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

An Apple A Day

_**1488**_

__The Spaniard ran fast for an old man, but I did not pursue him; we Assassins had what we wanted. I turned to Ezio, stepping over the corpses of the three fallen guards and smiled weakly.

"Sofia… You too?"

I nodded. "Si. I was trained as an Assassin since I was seven, but it was my choice. I fight for an Order that strives for freedom, and now, we have got a Piece of Eden."

Mario laughed. "Yes! Come; let us take it back to Monteriggioni!"

And so, we did. When we arrived, Mario took the Apple of Eden out of the box and set it on the table. Ezio was busy, but I was right beside Mario.

"Sofia, a few years ago, you told me of an Apple that saved your life," he said. Mario gestured to it. "Is this it?"

I touched it gently, and as I did a soft light emitted from it, wrapping the Apple in a small glow. My gut churned slowly as the memories of that day came back to me.

"Si." I took my hand from it. "A few years ago, you and Giovanni handled a strange artefact in a small wooden box that promised to heal injuries." I gestured to the Apple. "It was similar to this. It was called the Shroud, and it was grouped alongside the Sword, the Staff, and some Crystal Skulls. This Apple is the Sixth; the sixth of the Apples to be made, and the final one, if I am correct. This is the Piece of Eden that Altair held in his hands all those years ago."

Mario touched the Apple, but it didn't have the same effect. "So… do you want to destroy it?"

"It cannot be destroyed," I answered simply. "We tried many years ago."

_**2012**_

__"This is serious," Simon told me. "So, we're sending you in with back-up."

"I don't need back-up," I said firmly. "This is something I must do on my own."

Simon flicked me in the forehead. "Idiot! You're not going after those guys if you don't have back-up! That's final!" He crossed his arms. "Besides, the guy's on the jet right now."

"He _is_?"

"He's just in the bathroom." Simon grinned. "He's now the current number two, actually."

"Embry Redgrave," I recited. "Hm. I guess that's okay then."

"Why?" Simon asked, and then narrowed his eyes. "You like him or something?"

"No!" I said, shaking my hands quickly. "He's just got some skill! I didn't want anyone to get in my way when I kill those bastards…"

"Glad you think I have some skill, Samantha," Embry said from behind me. I jumped in my seat and nearly squeaked, but managed to suppress it. "Besides, I have to prove myself to the new number one, right?"

I groaned. "You don't have to do anything like that…"

"It's a tradition," Embry said as he sat across from me, beside Simon. "I lost to you. I must show that I can still prove my worth."

"An old tradition," I remarked. "All the way back to when we were still called 'Hashashin'."

We were all quiet for a moment before Simon cleared his throat. "Not to be off-topic, but doesn't that name remind you of hashbrowns?"

_**1746**_

__I awkwardly sat across from Walter and Catherine's mother, Jeanine. She looked nice enough, but it was really strange to be eating across from someone I'd never met before. Walter was sitting at the head of the table, Jeanine on his right, and Catherine was sitting beside her mother, smiling occasionally at me. Jeanine probably wasn't talking to me because she'd caught me in a bad situation with Walter.

After Walter returned a few of my weapons, only my hidden blades were left. He believed them to be bracers only, with no weapons whatsoever, and was handling it dangerously. Luckily, he wasn't hurt, and he didn't find out about my hidden blades. However, I'd jumped from the staircase (as he was running away from me) and landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Unfortunately, as I was on top of him, his mother came in. But, on the bright side, I got my hidden blades back.

As I was reviewing that image over and over in my head, wondering if she could have seen it as a misinterpretation at all, the door to the dining room opened and a young man around the same age as Walter came in. The two even looked alike! But he didn't have a stubble, and he seemed more elegant and serious, unlike Walter.

"I apologize for my late arrival," he said as he sat down beside me, barely even glancing in my direction. "I was working."

"You're always working late, brother," Walter said, smiling. "It's nice to have you home for a change." He looked at me, and then realized he hadn't introduced the newest person at the table. "Um… Miss Taylor? This is my younger brother, James."

"Nice to meet you," I greeted, inclining my head. "My name is Sara Taylor."

He grunted in response. _The guy didn't even look at me!_ However, I just shrugged and decided that he was probably always cold like that.

But his mother had none of it. "James, say 'hello' to our… guest."

"Hello."

"Not to me! To Miss Taylor!"

He frowned at his mother and looked me dead in the eye. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Taylor."

I got to examine his face for only a second before he turned away and rested his head on his hand, but now my attention was directed to his cuff, where there was a tiny spot of blood, and smears that looked like they'd been hastily cleaned.

"You have blood on your arm," I told him.

He glanced at it, as if uninterested. "My nose bled today. I couldn't catch all of it with a handkerchief quickly enough." His eyes studied my robes. "Not something a proper woman would wear, is that?"

"Maybe it's popular in Syria," Catherine suggested.

I shook my head. James didn't seem at all concerned from where I'd come from. "What I wear now is of my own choice. It is more comfortable. Besides, dresses feel too breezy."

"A _lady_ would not complain of a dress so," Jeanine said.

Walter laughed. "So _that's_ why you looked so uncomfortable at the mask!"

"A _gentleman_ would not speak to a lady on how she looks uncomfortable," his mother scolded.

I sighed. "I thought you said I _wasn't_ a lady…"

"You _aren't_."

"Thank-you for clearing that up."

Walter stood up and then moved behind me, placing a hand on my short brown hair (that Meredith had forcefully straightened out). "Of course she's no lady, mother. She's so much _more_ than that. She's _unique_."

I suddenly felt my face grow hot. "W-What the hell's _that_ supposed to mean…?"

He bent close to my ear. "You _are_ the one who took the life of my father's killer, are you not, Sara Taylor?"

Before I could speak to him, Walter patted my head again and left the room, leaving everyone else to wonder just what he had whispered in my ear.

_**1205**_

__"Welcome back, Grandmaster," I greeted, bowing with my fist closed over my heart.

Altair, Darim and Sef dismounted and came over to me. "You were right," Altair said. "They _were_ sending soldiers. We have stopped them for now, and I doubt that they will be so reckless as to attack again for a while."

I nodded. "It was by your wisdom that I was able to make that assumption, Grandmaster."

"Stop being so humble! There _is_ a limit!" Altair clapped me on the shoulder, and so I followed him and his sons into Masyaf. "Stop giving others so much credit! Giving yourself a small bit will not make you impudent, Suna."

I shrugged. "I take responsibility for my actions. I apologize, I did not think through it."

Altair seemed to be rolling his eyes at me. "Give Darim and Sef the night off. They have earned it."

I smiled at Darim and Sef. "You heard him. Go have fun, but tell your mother that you have returned first. She has been so stressed, I think she may have grown a few new grey hairs."

"Don't let her catch you saying that," Altair cautioned. "Able to die or not, she _will_ find a way to kill you."


	29. The Fighting Never Stops

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

The Fighting Never Stops

_**1746**_

__"I should go," I said. "Thank-you for the food and the hospitality, but I have some people waiting for me."

"Already?" Walter poked my forehead. "Your wounds haven't even healed yet!"

"They have, I assure you." I poked him back, only in the ribs though. "Stop. Following. Me."

"Pfft! That'd be no fun whatsoever!"

His mother passed us by in the hallway and stopped to look at us. "I think her request is reasonable, Walter. Stop chasing strange girls! She's barely a female as it is…"

I was sure that there was a vein showing on my forehead. "You don't like me much, do you?"

"Not at all."

I rolled my eyes as she walked away. "My mother really isn't fond of you," Walter said, smirking.

"Oh, shut-up!" I grabbed the handle of the door, but I was plucked off of it easily by Walter.

"You've insulted me for the last time!" he said in a strangely commanding voice. "As a Noble, I must punish you for this act! You must stay here for a few days longer, under the careful watch of mine eye!"

I facepalmed. "Walter, I'm not going to stay here because you're telling me to."

Walter frowned sadly, and suddenly his eyes became big. "_Please_?"

If I had to compare him to anything, it would be a lost puppy. I rubbed the back of my head and mumbled curses under my breath. Sometimes, Ezio would give me that lost puppy look with his own brown eyes, and I wouldn't be able to say no (fortunately, it didn't work when I got angry at him for finding him in brothels).

"The last time I was under your 'careful watch', I found out you weren't even supposed to be in the room." I smiled. "But I guess I like seeing Meredith beat you up."

"So you'll stay?"

_This guy… He _can't _be twenty-two! There's no way in hell! _"… Okay…"

Walter grinned. "Great!"

_**2012**_

__I pulled my hood up over my eyes. My boots were soundless against the sand, but you could hear the soft thumping of my sword against my leg. The wind was constant, but behind me. _This is where they are… _

"Stop!" someone yelled.

I didn't. I continued walking at my pace, as if I were simply out for a stroll. In the hot desert, despite the white colour of my robes, the sun beat down on me.

"I said stop!" the same voice yelled.

When I was close enough to the base, I stopped. Four Templars stood in front of me, all with guns, and I could see combat knives on their belts.

"A single Assassin," one of the men mused, a smile coming to his lips. "What can one Assassin do? We just took-out four of you idiots!"

I frowned, but stayed silent. Ahead of me, behind the door to the underground base, were my brothers. From the cold of Alaska to the heat of Nevada, they had gone through hell.

And I was about to show those Templars what hell looked like.

"Just shoot 'er and be done with it!" another growled.

The men raised their guns and fired. The bullets went through me, and I fell backwards onto the ground. I waited a few seconds before getting up, and activating my hidden blades.

_**1480**_

__"Oof!"

The breath was knocked out of my body as I just barely missed the haystack. I laid on the floor for a moment, gathering air back into my body, before I pushed myself onto my feet, and, strangely, felt a pair of hands help me.

"It is you, Sofia!" Leonardo exclaimed.

I rubbed my head. "Leonardo da Vinci? What are _you_ doing in Venezia?"

"I have been requested to work for the city," Leonardo explained. "It has been four years since I first saw you, Sofia."

"I am surprised you remember me…" I rubbed my shoulder. "Why do guards _always_ chase _me_ when _Ezio_ is at fault…?"

Leonardo laughed. "Are you here working with Ezio?"

I shook my head. "No. I am on vacation. Unfortunately, he is making it hard for me to have one. I have to constantly follow him and kill any guards who he has left his defences wide open for."

"I can imagine it would be stressful…"

"I think I may have a few grey hairs from merely following that idiota boy around… But I must follow him, as I followed everyone else."

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked.

I shook my head again. "Nothing…"

_**2012**_

__It turned out that the Templars had back-up inside. As the last of the Templars outside fell, an entire battalion charged out, yelling and holding blades. And from the looks of it, they were trained well in the Old Arts.

I held up my arm lazily and closed my fist. Embry jumped off of the base and sunk his hidden blades into two of the Templars, and then started his fight. I shook the blood from my hidden blades and drew my shortblade, then started to attack.

Deflecting, parrying, dodging, and then killing. The movements were still feeling alien to me. Having amnesia for two years can do that. But I quickly got back into the beat of my fighting style. Something I'd made, based on Altair Ibn La'Ahad, Dante Allighieri, and Mario Auditore's fighting styles. Something fast, precise, and strong at the same time.

Embry tossed something at me, and as I grabbed it from the air I realized it was a shotgun. I pumped it and fired, then brought my shortblade around and slit another Templar's throat. This pattern constantly continued, until I was backed-up against the base and a Templar ran me through. I pressed the barrel of the shotgun against the Templar and fired, the kick-back shooting me down the stairs.

My hood fell from my head and my eyes closed. It didn't matter how many times it happened; it still hurt like hell.

"Shit!" Somebody pulled the sword out of me and slapped me in the face. "Shit! Sam! Goddammit Sam! Open your eyes!"

So, I did, and I sat up and glared at Ryan. "You know, somebody could _die_ if you pull a blade out of their body without putting pressure on the wounds _immediately_ afterwards. Friggin' _idiot_. What the _hell_ did you learn during health class?"

"S-Sam?" Ryan exclaimed.

"In the flesh." I tossed my shortblade into the skull of an approaching Templar, and he tumbled down the stairs, dead. "You didn't think I'd just leave you to these bastards, did you?" I smirked and stood up. "Now, excuse me. I still have some enemies I need to send to Hell."


	30. If You Follow The Creed

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

If You Follow The Creed

_**1746**_

__There was something about me that never happened anymore: I'd never had a soundless sleep. I had bad nightmares, and always about the times I killed people. As I killed more people, they only got worse, and at this time in my life, I didn't even bother to count. It was too high, as it was.

As I slept in the bed, I had those nightmares. It felt like every drop of blood I had spilt over the years had come back like a bitch. So, lots of times, like now, I would cry. To me, there was so much in my life that was wrong. For one, I should have already been long dead.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I felt the cold of my dream start to melt away, and it was replaced by a strangely warm feeling. I peeled my eyes open, and realised it was only because I was waking up. Well, waking up to a bucket of water being held above my head, by none other than Walter.

I shot upwards, and my head slammed against the bucket of water. Walter reflexively released the bucket and it flew high into the air, and then landed perfectly on my head, covering my face and drenching me.

I sat there, soaked, for a few minutes before Walter dared say anything.

"I _swear_, I was only going to _threaten_ you with that," he said carefully.

I pulled the bucket off of my head, looked at him with the most serious expression I could muster, and then burst out laughing.

"The last time _anyone_ dumped a bucket of water on my head was when I'd called him an asshole the day before!" I remembered the expression on Vanni's face when I chased him around his home, completely intent on killing him while Mario rolled on the ground, unable to contain his laughter. "It's nice, since I won't have to take a shower this morning."

"Well, since you're practically ready, how about you meet me downstairs? Then we can have breakfast, and go out in London!" He smirked devilishly, and tapped my nose with his finger. "And don't worry; Meredith is going to attempt to put you in a dress today, so if you let her, you won't have to worry about those guards looking for you."

"Is that supposed to reassure me?"

"Not at all."

I found myself smiling at him. "Well, maybe I'll let her…"

One of his eyebrows rose. "Your expressions are always the best when your face is red like that."

"M-My face isn't red!" I started to shove him out of the room when Meredith came in and saw me completely soaked.

And then she saw the bucket.

"_Walter_ _Hugh_!" she screeched, and started to beat him with the broom in her hand. "_Out_! Out I say! You have to stop barging into innocent girls' rooms!"

"She's hardly a _girl_!" Walter defended.

Meredith (literally) kicked Walter out of the room and slammed the door. "Men! They're all perverts, the lot of them!" Meredith shook her head. "And I thought Walter was different from those idiots..."

I smiled as warmly as I could. "Well, he's definitely likeable."

"Always has been." Meredith put her broom down and grabbed the bucket. "Ever since he was little. He was definitely the most energetic, though Catherine was definitely a rival for him like that. James was always very cold, rarely smiled, serious, but he was still friendly when he needed to be. Strangely, James has been much more detached lately, and Walter is even more excited. They're complete opposites, but they're close."

"I haven't been able to tell." _Except when James barely even acknowledged my existence…_

"Don't worry about it; they're both nice enough." Meredith went to the closet and handed me a towel. "Dry yourself off; I'll get your clothes out for the day."

_**2012**_

__The helicopter ride to Coney Island in New York from the Nevada desert took hours. In those hours, I had wondered if Ryan or Tyler would speak to me at all. They were both fine, and other than a few cuts they were in great health. And yes, they did speak to me.

"What the hell just happened, Sam?" Ryan shouted. "Who were those people? Why aren't you getting medical help? You were stabbed by a fucking sword!"

I pulled my hood down and glared at him. "First: there's a kid in the damn chopper. Try to tone down the major swears. Second: it doesn't matter because it's done and in the past. Both of you; try to forget about it."

"I'm not just gonna _forget_ about it!" Ryan grabbed the collar of my robe. "Sam, you've been gone for weeks! And your advice to your _brothers_ is to _forget_ about it? No way!"

I gently put my hand on his and sighed. "It's a long and boring story, but it is a reason why you should just forget me and move on with your lives."

"You're kidding me!" I managed to pry Ryan's hand from my robe. "You've killed people! You're going to be on the most wanted list! Why the hell d'you have a fucking helicopter?"

"Again: language." I smiled at Tyler and gave him a hug. "Ty, d'you think you can sleep, even with all this racket?"

He nodded happily and fell asleep as soon as his head hit my lap. I smiled and gingerly stroked his head, then looked back at Ryan grimly.

"Listen to me, Ryan: I'm not who you think I am. Yeah, I've been stabbed. Good for me. Too bad for the hospitals who practically steal your money, because I'm a really fast healer." I sighed. "I'm part of an organization fighting for the freedom of man. I lost my memory two years ago, but now I'm back., and that's all I'm going to say on that subject. However, I can say this: to protect both of you, I'll keep my distance. I have a promise to keep first though, and as soon as it's fulfilled, I'm leaving again. If I don't come back after that, don't worry about me. Just keep looking after Tyler."

_**1746**_

__"I hate dresses," I muttered sadly.

"Then why live in a country where you must wear dresses every day?" Walter asked, smirking.

"Because I have stuff to do here." I sighed. "It's strange. I spent my life growing up in robes, where I would be able to wear leggings, and now it is strange because of the breeze."

I saw Jeanine glare at me from across the room from her book, but she didn't say anything.

"Well, I can only imagine," Walter said, shrugging. "I have some things planned out for today. Do you want to come with me?"

"It's better than staying cooped-up in here all day," I replied. "Where to?"

"I was thinking of showing you off at the fair today, actually."

"Yes, let's show off the girl you've been stalking!" Jeanine said dryly. "Maybe her father will be able to kill you more efficiently when he finds out!"

"You don't have to worry about that, Ms. Hugh," I told her.

Walter and Jeanine raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't pursue it. Then Walter smiled his devilish smile and led me outside. I had to admit; it was nice to not be chased whenever I was seen. Meredith had done an amazing job disguising me.

We walked down the streets of London, Walter sometimes pointing out his favourite places (none of which included a tavern), even the park where he'd first helped me was where he looked through his telescope to watch the stars. It reminded me of when Altair had once taken me stargazing at the top of the fortress in Masyaf, and he pointed out the stars "Altair" and "Suha".

He showed me the best places to go during the daytime, and the quietest places to go if you wanted to be alone. I had to admit that his knowledge of the city was pretty large, and it also made me a bit suspicious of him. How would someone—a Noble, even—know where to go to hide? Or the shortcuts through the alleyways?

Walter saw my expressions, and laughed. "I was a troublemaker when I was a bit younger. Not that I'm not now, but I was a bit wilder back then. I got in a lot of trouble by the guards, and my father threatened to disown me if I didn't stop." His expression turned distant. I automatically decided that he was remembering his father. "You never crossed him, so it was best to stay on his good side, but he was the kindest man you'd ever known. Of course, I stopped being such an ass, but a few months later he…"

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "He sounded like a good man."

"He was." Walter tried his best to smile. "Let's move on."

We toured London for a few hours longer, until it was the evening. I was grateful to have been able to scour the area, so I would know where to go if I needed to avoid the guards (though I don't think that that's what Walter was thinking, as I know he would rather "conveniently" run into me). Walter could make me smile when I really wanted to be serious, and as much as it infuriated me it also made me warm up to him a bit more. He truly deserved the name "Volpe".

But then we heard the screaming.

Walter and I looked at each other, then ran for the source. A building had caught on fire, and people were screaming from the inside. There was a tiny crowd of people, unsure of what to do in front of the building, but I didn't hesitate. I hiked up the dress and bolted inside, Walter screaming my name after me. I hoped he wouldn't come inside as well.

I shielded my eyes from the smoke and quickly made my way around, looking for the source of the screaming. I found a woman on the main floor, frantically looking for a way out.

"Grab my hand!" I ordered.

She took it and I led her to the door, but heard more screaming. The house started to break apart, so I told the woman to get outside to safety. She ran out just as a beam blocked the doorway, so I would have to find another way out. I charged up the steps, my eyes starting to tear up as the smoke increased. I coughed a bit as I looked for the other person screaming, but it seemed there were two. And one was a baby.

I opened a door, and it fell off of its hinges. A young child grabbed my leg and held on as if her life depended on it. I picked her up and held her in my arms, then ran around to look for an exit. I eventually found one to a terrace on the second floor, where there were some stairs down. I instructed her to get away from the house while I looked for the baby, and I ran back inside. I heard more of the house start to fall apart, and my last exit was sealed.

When I finally reached where I believed the baby was, I was practically hacking my lungs out. The door was jammed, and I believed that there was something blocking it on the other side. The baby wailed louder as the flames started to reach an incredible temperature. I slammed my shoulder against the door, moving it barely even an inch every time I did so. I backed up a ways and then ran at the door, kicking it as hard as I could. It moved a bit more, so I continued this until it was wide enough for me to sneak through. I felt myself become light-headed as the smoke and fire nearly became too much for me, but I grabbed the baby and held it tightly in my arms as I searched for a way out. I could only see the window, and I knew I was running out of time. A beam nearly fell on me, but I managed to diverge its path just in time, the flaming wood searing the skin on my hand. I cried out as the pain struck me, and charged at the window. I protected the baby as I crashed through the glass, and as the house exploded in a gigantic fireball, catapulting us away. I slammed into a building far across the street and then crashed into the cobblestones below, all the while trying to make sure I took the brunt of the blow.

I coughed and fought to keep my eyes open. Every part of my body hurt like hell, especially my hand. I knew it would heal, but I couldn't bring myself to look at it. I couldn't bring myself to examine myself either, because I had probably ran through a few flames and caught fire.

The baby was still crying, so I knew it was alive. I hugged its small form close to my body and felt relief wash over me. It was safe, and that was all that mattered. Not my wounds.

I felt arms on me, and just their touch made me cry out in pain. _Yep. I've definitely been burnt. _I gritted my teeth and fought to keep my eyes open. I saw some men, obviously firemen, pick up the baby, and the woman I'd rescued earlier snatched it from their hands and started crying over it. The little girl was also with the woman, and hugging her fiercely.

My skin felt red-hot, and the fact that Walter had picked me up and was carrying me didn't help at all. I could just barely make out his face, which was covered in ash. Had he come in after me? Had he tried to stop me from endangering myself? … Why?

Walter caught me looking, but his expression was totally unreadable. He was saying something, but I couldn't make out what it was. I lost the battle to keep my eyes open, and let myself be taken over by exhaustion.


	31. It's The Strangest Thing

Chapter Thirty:

It's The Strangest Thing

_**2012**_

__Tyler pointed to the carousel and ran to it, trying to get us a spot in line. I laughed and followed, Ryan bringing up the rear. Like all rides, we went on at least twenty times before we felt sick, but still went to go get some cotton candy. It was nice, and it was great to be around my brothers again, to see them smiling and laughing together. I'd missed them.

"Hey! Photos!" Tyler cried, and sprinted for the man taking them.

Ryan rolled his eyes and quickly caught up to Tyler. "Hey! Be careful!"

By the time I'd reached them, the line had opened up, and it was our turn. I paid the man and sat down at the end of the bench beside Tyler, with Ryan on Tyler's other side.

"Smile!" the man said, and so we did.

Several pictures later (with most of them containing us being goofy), we sat down on a bench in the park and watched the fireworks. Tyler would point out the one he liked the most, which would quickly be replaced by another one. When the final, largest one exploded in the sky, Tyler frantically exclaimed that it was now his favourite.

We took a taxi back to Queens, where I took them straight to the home we'd been living in together for the past two years. Tyler had fallen asleep, and so Ryan had him on his back.

"You won't have to worry about him waking up tonight. Looks like he's going to be out until noon tomorrow, easily," I said to Ryan.

He nodded. "I guess." Ryan unlocked the door and went inside, but stopped when he realised I wasn't following him. "Are ya coming?"

I shook my head. "There're some things I still have to do, people I need to help. We're so close to the end…"

Ryan frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Everything's been leading up to this. I need to be there for everyone."

He took the house key off of the ring of keys in his hand and tossed it to me. "For when you get back," he said. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Sam. You'll come back, or I'll kick your ass."

"I'd love to see you try," I replied, smiling.

_**1746**_

__The dreams were there again. My heart was beating at an uncontrollable pace, and my skin felt as if it was on fire. Another scene joined the dreams, and that was the fire that had been consuming that house. I only saw corpses, and I couldn't move, as if my feet were rooted to the spot.

I reached out, as if I could still help the dead. As if I could try to atone for every life I'd taken over the years. But a realization hit me; I couldn't. Nothing could be done. Nothing could ever be done for the dead. I was too weak, even though I couldn't die. I would never be strong like Altair.

And then my hand started to dull. It didn't feel like it was on fire anymore, but as if it was simply a comforting warmth. The vision dissolved, and I saw myself frantically running around, saving the three inside the building. I remembered the smoke getting into my lungs and eyes; I remembered moving the beam out of the way, and searing my hand on the flames; and the feeling of pain on my skin when it was touched, seeing as the rest had been burnt as well. And then I remembered to breathe.

I gasped and shot up in the bed, breathing in deeply and savouring the air in my lungs. I hadn't even realised that my eyes were threatening to flow with tears. I felt light-headed, and my muscles felt a bit over-used. I swung my legs over the bed and stood as best I could, but found myself struggling to keep my balance, and fell quickly. Luckily, not to the floor. Unluckily, it was into Walter's arms. I hadn't even realised he was there. It didn't register in my head at all.

"For God sakes!" he exclaimed. "Sara, you can't get out of bed right now! You're recovering!"

I tried to support myself again, but he took advantage of my uselessness and laid me back in the bed. I tried my best to smile, even though it hurt.

"Why is it… that you are always… at my bedside when I… wake up?" I managed to say. The smoke in my lungs had affected my speaking, but it would go away soon enough.

"I need you to see a devilishly handsome face when you wake up so I can brighten your day a little, obviously," he quipped, smirking. "Who knows what would happen if you didn't see one? You'd go positively mad!"

"Yes. I probably would." I closed my eyes. "I'd probably… run into buildings… that happen to be… on fire."

Walter put his finger on my nose, like he'd done before we went to town. I didn't even know what day it was. "Possibly. But you must stay in bed and recover. The doctor said, by the extent of the burns, it will take a month for you to be back on your feet by yourself."

I shook my head painfully. "That won't do. Please, Walter… get me some water. I… heal better with it… in my system."

Walter hesitated, but inclined his head and then left the room. I curled my fingers and gritted my teeth as the pain seared through my body. _Bloody miracle that I didn't feel it when I was actually in the building…_ I thought with a painful sigh. _I can't believe Walter would go in the building after me. Then again, it's not like I told him that I can't die, no matter what I go through. Fire isn't exactly new, and I've had worse…_

Walter came back in with a glass of water. I stubbornly sat back up in the bed, and despite his frown he handed me the glass. I downed the water and laid back on the bed, smiling painfully again.

"Two days," I told him. "I only… need two days."

Walter took the glass and smiled. "You willing to bet on that?" he challenged.

"I win… you stop stalking me," I said.

"And if I win, I get to stalk you to my hearts content."

I chuckled. "Creep."

_**2012**_

__Simon was leaning against the helicopter as I approached. I started to get in when Simon cleared his throat.

"Did you tell 'em?"

I hesitated. I'd told Simon as Tyler and Ryan had ran ahead to the carnival about me, because I'd felt I'd owed it to him.

"No," I answered as I helped him inside. "Whether I come back or not, it doesn't matter. Let's just finish this war, once and for all."

"So… back to Italy?" Simon asked as Embry hopped in (from doing what, I didn't know).

I nodded. "Double-time it. I can already feel that they're close to the Apple."

_**1746**_

__I'd just finished wrapping the bandages around my chest (boys, don't ask. Girls, you'll probably understand. It's the 1700's, after all) when Walter barged in. For a moment, we both just stood there, frozen in place, until I lobbed the roll of bandages at him (thank God I'd finished with it!).

"Damn you! Can't you knock?" I yelled.

He rubbed his head. "I'm sorry! I thought you were still in bed!" He paused for a second, then studied me. "Wow… I really didn't believe you when you said two days…"

"I'm a fast healer," I told him, and then grabbed my tunic. "I've always been."

"Yes, but you had burns all over your body, and they were very severe." Walter's brow furrowed. "It's the strangest thing…"

"Is it?" I lifted the tunic above my head, but cringed. My shoulder seemed to still be in a considerable amount of pain, despite my amazing healing skills.

Walter took the tunic from my hands. "Let me help. It's best you don't kill yourself trying to put on a shirt."

I frowned, and reluctantly let him help me into it. The tunic only covered my torso, and the sleeves were gone. It helped me with my climbing to have my robe over it, so another piece of clothing wouldn't get in my way.

"Interesting scars," Walter mused. "You get a lot in your line of work?"

"Not any more," I said. "I'm scar-proof."

"That so?" Walter traced the scar on my shoulder gently. The flesh was soft there. "Then how'd you get so many?"

The hairs on the back of my neck went up. "An arrow…"

"From Syria, yes?" He traced it for a moment longer as I nodded. "When you were younger. The scar is slightly stretched, if you really look."

I turned around to face him. "It never ceases to amaze me how you know so much about me."

"Like I said a while ago; I can tell. It's a gift that's helped me get out of a lot of trouble." He smiled devilishly. "So, are you going to tell me what a girl from Syria is doing travelling around the world, killing people and running from guards?"

"It's best you don't know."

"Oh really? What if I asked nicely?"

"I'd still say nothing."

Walter put his finger on my nose again. "Even under torture?"

One of my eyebrows rose. "Are you implying something, sir?"

"The Chinese have a method, you see, of getting what they want without hurting the person they're torturing."

Before I could react, Walter dug his fingers into my sides. I couldn't believe it. He made me roll onto my bed, and even there he refused to stop tickling me.

"P-Pervert!" I choked out from my laughter.

"I'm not going to stop unless you answer my questions!" he said, grinning like an idiot.

To my relief, Meredith burst into the room and forcefully kicked Walter out of the room I was staying in. She came over to check if I was all right, because—I was sure—from her point of view it looked like I was crying. She was right, in a sense. I'd been laughing so hard tears had come to my eyes.

The maid helped me to get the rest of my robes on and let me go downstairs, where I had to check my corners to see if Walter was getting ready to tickle me again. I did find him in his study, and he was holding up my shortblade.

"Bastard!" I yelled, and tried to jump for it.

He held it out of my reach. "Why don't you just flip me again?" he asked, smirking.

"Because I don't want to ruin your back!" I said, jumping for it again. "But I'm starting to reconsider!"

After I got frustrated enough, I did. He was on his back and my shortblade was back in my possession. I smiled, but then felt Walter's hand on my shoulder.

"I wanted to show you the paper," he said, holding up the newspaper. "It's talking about the girl who leapt into the flames to save a family, and lived."

"If I'm not mistaken, you also were in that house," I said as I glanced at the paper. "I wanted to ask why, since… Well, I could handle myself. There was no need for you to be worried about me."

"But I _like_ being worried about you," Walter replied. "It makes it easier to find you. And as I was trying to help you, I ended up helping this little girl who wanted to run back inside to save you and her little sister."

I felt my heart sink. _Chara…_

"What's with that look?" he asked as he turned me around to face him. "You look… sad."

I frowned. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"It's in the past. I'd rather not talk about it."

"I'm perceptive, Sara," he said. "I'll figure it out eventually."

"Don't. It's best you just leave it—."

The door opened, and I immediately shut my mouth. Catherine poked her head through and smiled.

"Meredith's looking for you," she announced.

"Who?" Walter asked.

"Both of you," Catherine said. "We were invited to one of the Queen's parties for tonight. She wants the dates to be outfitted similarly."

"Dates?" I repeated.

"I've already got mine," Catherine said, winking at her brother (like I wouldn't catch that). "The same for James and mother. Looks like both of you will need someone!"

"B-But—!" I tried.

Catherine cut me off. "No buts! You two are going together!" She shut the door behind her, much to my dismay. I couldn't even imagine the expression on my face.

"Don't _I_ get a say in _anything_?" I exclaimed in frustration. "I swear! You're all making me do things against my will!"

"Well, you _do_ owe me," Walter said, smiling his devilish smile. "You're lighter than you look, by the way. I could barely feel you when I was carrying you."

I felt my face get really red. "S-Shut up!"


	32. Debts Have To Be Repaid

Chapter Thirty-One:

Debts Have To Be Repaid

_**1746**_

__"I think you're great, Meredith. I really do," I said. "But this… _thing_ you've put on me is extremely inconvenient!"

Meredith tapped me on the head with a fan. "Oh no, girl. You'll not be jumping into any buildings that're on fire, I can tell you that! In fact, stay away from danger for one night! I beg you!"

I frowned and let her continue doing my hair, which I felt was embarrassing. Jeanine had walked by a while ago and watched Meredith do my hair, then muttered something about "fool girls who were practically animals, considering they did not wear dresses or know how to tie a bun in their hair". I was really, _really_ hating Jeanine for her comments.

"I guess…" I sighed. "Meredith, what was Walter's uncle like?"

"An ass," she replied bluntly.

"O-Oh…"

I was silent for a while longer before Meredith sighed. "Do you really not want to go to this thing?"

I couldn't shake my head or nod. "I don't know. I just… it feels like I should because it's short notice, and I'm not sure if Walter will find anyone else…"

"I'm not talking about _Walter_." She stared at me in the mirror. "I'm asking _you_, Sara."

"I neither like it nor dislike it," I said. "But I will endure. I mean, everyone wants me to go. By everyone I mean Walter and Catherine. James probably couldn't care less, and Jeanine doesn't want me to go at all."

Meredith smiled. "Well, Jeanine sometimes had a large stick shoved up her arse," she whispered, smiling. "Ever wonder how she can stand so straight?"

I chuckled. "I think you're right!"

After Meredith had finished getting me ready (and after I'd quietly slipped on my hidden blades, which I'd taken the metal bracers off of for extra precautions), I met Walter, Catherine and her date Henry, James and his date Lily, and Jeanine out on the terrace. We waited for a carriage to take us to Buckingham Palace (though I really wanted to just run there), and my thoughts immediately took me to the last time I was there, when I killed Grayson on the King's orders.

"You think a lot," Walter observed.

"I have a lot to think about," I replied.

I heard Henry snort, as if in disbelief. "Outrageous! What could a _woman_ think about?"

I looked at Catherine, as if to say, "Nice catch, this one is." I turned to him, the frown apparent on my face. "You think so little of women that they cannot think about anything other than dresses and tea?"

"I just find that my imagination does not go so far as to thinking of women being capable of such nonsense."

Walter smiled, but I could tell that it was strained. "Women have opinions just as men do. Women from different places think of different things. Sara is from Syria, and is probably thinking about something from her home that resembles Buckingham Palace."

Henry frowned. "Syria? That must mean her parents were quite the savages. People from places like that are rarely anything else."

I clenched my fists. "The word 'savage' can mean several things, sir."

"Your parents must have been Muslims, yes?" Henry prodded.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I never met my birth-parents."

"So what did you do? I can imagine you were God-less for quite a time. Are you still? If it were me, I'd—."

"Watch your tongue, Henry," James and Walter said at the same time.

Henry frowned deeper. "What? I'm just making conversation."

_What an ass!_ I thought angrily. _He's—! Ugh! Stuck in a carriage with him, and we've still got a ways to go!_

"There's 'conversation', and then there's 'poking fun'." I was surprised to hear Jeanine's voice. It was like she was scolding the young man. "You'll be more careful with your words. Did you not hear how Sara risked her life to save a family? She was so badly burned, and God's Divine Will healed her in a matter of days. I would not call such a person 'God-less'."

"It was _you_?" Lily exclaimed. "Those were dear friends of mine! They would not be alive today if you hadn't gone in after them!"

I was suddenly uncomfortable with the way everyone was looking at me. "I-It was nothing…"

Walter grinned and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, which made my face instantly turn red. "Looks like Sara doesn't like to be thanked for the work she does. See? Her face is about as red as an apple!"

"Red, yes," Catherine said, "but I can't tell if it's because she's embarrassed or because she's angry at you."

"Why would she be angry?" Walter asked.

Catherine shrugged. "If there's one thing I've noticed about Sara, it's that she doesn't like being touched very much. Haven't you noticed that whenever I hug her she struggles? And your arm is around her shoulders right now."

Thankfully, the carriage stopped, and I was the first out. I waited for Walter, and then we went into Buckingham Palace together, even though I distanced myself from him.

Jeanine almost passed by me, but I quickly tapped her shoulder. She seemed to be going to meet her date.

"Ms. Hugh…" I cleared my throat. "I just wanted to thank you. For sticking up for me in the carriage."

"I know you could have done it yourself," Jeanine said, giving me the tiniest hint of a smile, "but I dislike Henry far more than I dislike you. In a way, you helped me."

I couldn't believe it. _She's… She's such a conniving old woman! Then again, she reminds me of Maria, and the one time she chased me around the keep trying to put a dress on me… Well, even though she was a tomboy, she really had a feminine side. And it's not like she could've dressed-up Darim or Sef…_

"Thinking again?" Walter asked.

I nodded. "Now, I have more to think about."

"I assume you're plotting a way to humiliate Henry for being such an ass," Walter said, smirking.

"Maybe."

We were quiet for a bit longer, watching everyone spinning around and dancing. Walter tapped the wall in a beat I didn't recognize.

"Well," he said, "here we are again."

"Yep."

He scratched his head. "… Are you just going to stand there again?" he asked.

"I think so."

"You don't want to dance at all?"

"My training didn't include how to aimlessly move my feet."

He smiled. "What, no 'Art of Seduction'?"

"No. Just how to stay out of harm's way."

"You must have failed there a few times."

I glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You willingly jumped into a burning inferno, and you had gunshot wounds when I first found you." Walter tapped my nose. "You're a trouble-magnet."

I frowned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Indeed." He grinned. "How about I cut you a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" I asked suspiciously.

He pointed to where everyone was dancing. I looked over there (painfully). "Give me one dance, and I won't tell anyone you brought weapons here. Though how you got a blade on your wrist is beyond me."

I facepalmed. "Dammit! I hate it that you're so perceptive!"

"It's a gift."

"That's what you've been saying." I sighed. "Fine. Just one. And you'd better keep your word!"

Walter smiled in triumph, a smile that I wanted to slap right off of his face. I'm not going to add the boring details about dancing, but I can say this; we were on the dance floor for much more than simply one dance.

_**2012**_

__"It's going to take a while to get back to Italy," Simon told me. "It's best if you get some rest."

I sighed. "It's not like I'm going to die of exhaustion."

Embry laughed, completely clueless about my meaning (as I hadn't told him about me). "You're pretty stubborn about staying alive, but I'm thinking it'll be natural causes that takes you one day."

_Let's hope,_ I thought dryly.

I took out one of the pictures that Ryan, Tyler and I had taken. It was a goofy picture, and the one I'd liked the most. Tyler had told me that I could keep it for myself. I didn't know if he understood that I wouldn't be waking up in the same house as him in the morning.

Simon saw the picture and smiled. "Have you ever thought about settling down?"

I nodded. "A few times. But I'm the unluckiest person in the world, so they wouldn't have worked out if I'd tried."

"What makes you so sure if you haven't tried?"

I couldn't answer.

_**1746**_

__I was speaking with Catherine and Lily about Italy, and how beautiful it was. They had wanted to go there for years, it seemed, but hadn't got the chance. I described it as best I could to them, from the buildings to the people, the rivers to the food. I loved to talk about it, maybe because I missed it so much. Staying there for years on end could do that to you, similar to how much I'd missed Masyaf when I first left to watch over Altair's family.

"Did you know many people there?" Lily asked.

I nodded. "Too many, it seems."

"Well, you can never have too many friends!"

"Believe me; you can."

James suddenly appeared behind me. One thing I'd noticed about James and parties: he was practically a ghost.

"I need to speak with you," he said in his monotone, and making me jump in surprise. "It's urgent."

Before I could say anything, James grabbed my arm and yanked me outside into the cool night. I would have given him a piece of my mind, but he cut me off.

"You're in danger," he said quickly. "And you're putting my brother in danger. There are many enemies here tonight; I would bring your guard up a bit more, Master Taylor."

I froze. Only recruits in the Order ever called me "Master Taylor".

"Y-You're part of the Order?" I asked quietly.

He nodded. "I'll explain later, but Templars have found their way into the King's inner-circle. I just thought I should warn you."

I smiled. "Did I really look so relaxed that you were worried for me, James?"

He nodded. "Looked like you were taking a stroll through the park, actually."

"Don't worry; I'm always on my guard. I wouldn't have made it to my rank if I wasn't, now would I?"

His expression, as usual, didn't change at all. "But I assume that you didn't know about the Templar thing."

"What can I say? Your brother's forced me out of work!" I sighed. "I know I'll have to go back soon, but…"

"You've made friends?"

I nodded. "And this is why one _can_ have too many friends. You're always worried for each one."


	33. Rules Are Made To Be Broken

Chapter Thirty-Two:

Rules Were Made To Be Broken

_**1746**_

__I spent the rest of the party looking around, trying to figure out who the Templars were. I wasn't able to, but (lucky for us) we left early, since Jeanine seemed to have developed a rather nasty flu. Henry and Lily rode back to Hugh Manor with us all, though I believed Henry was just there to piss me off some more.

When Jeanine was in bed, the rest of us went downstairs into the main room, where we visited politely (I joined them after I'd gotten out of that _monstrosity_ called a "dress", and changed into something ten times more comfortable).

I was sitting on the couch in-between Walter and James, with Lily sitting beside the latter, and across from Catherine and Henry, who were sitting on the loveseat.

"So, what faith do you believe in?" Henry asked in the midst of our conversation.

I frowned, and then shrugged. "Not sure. I believe in my own way; I'll not join a movement simply because people are trying to get me to."

"But to be Catholic is—!"

"If you say God's Will," I cut in, "then I'll hurt you."

Henry shut his mouth, which made Walter chuckle a bit. "Sara, I was wondering something…" I turned to look at Walter, and found myself surprised to be looking at his serious face. "You said you didn't know your birth-parents. Was there anyone else?"

"I'm curious as well!" Catherine piped up. "I want to get to know you better!"

My brow furrowed. "It is a dull tale. Surely something you would dislike."

Meredith walked in with some tea for us all. "I think that most of the people currently in this house are very curious, Miss Taylor."

Henry huffed. "_Servants_ should keep their comments to themselves…"

I rubbed my temples, but it was Catherine who spoke. "Henry, Meredith is a _friend_, and serves our family faithfully. I would be happy for her 'comments' anytime."

"What rubbish is this?" Henry exclaimed, and then glared at me. "What thoughts have you put into her head?"

I rolled my eyes. "Catherine can speak for herself, sir. I'm no witch, if that's what you're accusing."

Henry smirked. "Ah, but are you? Those eyes of yours remind me of a cat's, and cats are a witch's familiar, are they not?"

"Funny how you seem to know so much about them," I countered. "Maybe it is you who is the witch, and you want to use me as a cover-up?"

Henry and I glared at each other for a good few minutes before we both broke off and gulped down our tea. Walter cleared his throat in an effort to get our argument out of everyone's heads.

"So, Sara, was there anyone else?"

I put my tea on the tray and sighed. "Yes. I had foster-parents, and two foster-brothers. Not to mention my sister, who was blood-related, but I knew her for only a few months…"

"Why only a few months?" Lily asked.

"She… She was murdered." I tapped my leg anxiously. "Everyone else soon followed her to the grave."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Catherine said sincerely. "I can't imagine what that would be like."

"And that's what prompted you to travel the world?" James asked suddenly.

I nodded. "There was a promise that I had to keep."

"So this is why you have much to think about," Walter mused. "It's good to share your burdens once-in-a-while, Sara. It helps to take the pressure off."

I sighed. "I have no pressure at all," I lied swiftly. "I only have duty and responsibility. Why share those things? If you cannot handle it, you might as well give up."

Catherine and Lily looked at each other, then back to me. "What do you _do_, exactly?"

Henry snorted. "What, she has a _job_?"

I was about two seconds from beating the crap out of him, but for now I could only think about how insolent he was. "I travel the world and help people. Think of it like penance, or a pilgrimage, only it is for the good of the world." I sat back. "I believe the only way for peace to happen will be to show people the good in the world."

"A very admirable goal, Miss Taylor," Meredith said. "It seems everyone has been underestimating you."

"Know thy opponent," I mused. "More so than he knoweth himself."

Henry stood up. "I must take my leave now. It's getting late."

I smirked. "Don't trip on your way out."

"I will ensure that I do not—." Henry fell over his own feet and landed on his face.

I smiled and took a sip of my tea. "I told you to be careful."

Walter laughed and helped Henry to his feet, but the latter quickly shook him off and stomped out of the house.

"How'd you know he was going to fall?" Lily asked.

"He was walking funny. I just got his attention off and he was down for the count." I smiled. "It's pretty easy, if you can see the signs."

Lily was next to leave, and James saw her off. Even though he barely showed any expressions, I could tell that he really liked Lily. I hoped his being in the Order wasn't going to come between them.

I trudged up the stairs to my room and laid on the bed for a time before I got up and took off my comfortable clothes, then changed into my Assassins robes, but only the pants and tunic. That was usually how I slept.

Walter came in without knocking again, and by this time I was so annoyed I threw a book at him.

He ducked quickly. "Ha! You missed—!" He was cut-off as another book hit his face. He frowned as it slid to the floor. "You're not used to me barging in yet, are you?"

"Why _should_ I get used to it?" I frowned and rubbed the back of my head. "I know this is your home, but you're forcing me to stay here."

"Mostly because I'm not convinced that you're fully-healed yet." Walter came over and tested my shoulder, raising it until I flinched in pain. "I'm not sure about this shoulder…"

"Probably a bullet I hadn't noticed," I said. "My skin must have healed over it."

Walter traced my scar again. "Why do you fight? You hurt yourself."

"Because it's everything I know."

Walter stared at me, as if in disbelief, but then smiled. "Seriously? No wonder you know no 'seduction' techniques."

"Why would I need to seduce anyone?"

"How'd you get into my uncle's estate? Because he usually only lets courtesans in."

I scratched my head. "Let's see… I climbed through the window to his dining hall, and stabbed him from above… Oh yes, then I stuck an apple in his mouth for good measure. If I hadn't done that, then I wouldn't have been chased by the guards."

Walter laughed. "Well, I never liked him at all, but that… I'd say it was cruel, but it seems that it suits him."

"Man, if you have no pity for him, even as a family member, then I guess he wasn't exactly your favourite uncle."

"He was my only one, and he wasn't very good at it, either."

I sighed. "Well, I need to get some sleep, considering how stressful tonight was."

"Which part?" Walter asked, smirking. "Was it Henry? Or was it me _finally_ getting you to dance with me? I really can't tell!"

"Both." I felt Walter grab my wrist, so I frowned at him.

"For what it's worth, I had a fun time tonight. Especially your 'witch' conversation." He smiled. "Henry brings up a good point. Golden eyes that're cat-like… did you cast a spell on me, Sara?"

"You have _got_ to be kidding! Witchcraft doesn't exist! And why the hell would I _want_ to put _you_ under anything?" I felt my face get really red. "Oh God, that was dirty, wasn't it?"

Walter snickered and released me. "I'm going to bed as well. Good-night."

And so, he left. Just like that. I rubbed my head and collapsed on my bed, and let my nightmares come to annoy me.

_**1504**_

__"Rosa?" I closed the door behind me. "What are you doing in Roma?"

"Settling in," she replied, smiling, and then hugged me. "Claudia had to step down as the Madame of the Rosa in Fiore, and La Volpe recommended me to take her place."

"Right, Claudia had a run-in with Borgia supporters." I rubbed the back of my head as Rosa stepped away from me. "But why you?"

"Maybe because my name matches the sign outside," Rosa said, smirking. "Saves for convenience."

"Aren't you going to miss Venezia?"

She nodded. "Si, but I am needed here. Besides, my mother was a courtesan. I'd like to be there for them."

I smirked. "Poco Rosa, you've grown."

Rosa made a face. "Stop calling me that. I'm practically Ezio's age."

_**1746**_

__I woke up late in the night, rubbing my eyes and unable to fall asleep again. I could hear something downstairs, so I decided to slip on my hidden blades and check it out. I hadn't put the metal bracers on yet, but I decided I wouldn't need them.

I crept downstairs and peeked around the corner into the living room. James and Walter were sitting on the couch. It looked like they hadn't slept yet either.

"She's bound to leave soon," James said to his brother. "Girls like that don't stay in one place too long."

"I know," Walter said, "I just want to get to know her, is all."

"You don't know what you're getting into."

Walter smirked. "What do you mean, brother?"

"You have your gifts, and I have mine." James stood up. "You should figure it out. You're good at that."

The window suddenly shattered, and Walter and James dived behind the couch. A hail of gunfire tore through the mansion. I stayed behind the wall, suddenly regretting not putting my bracers on. When the gunfire stopped, I peeked around the corner. James had a throwing knife in-between each of his fingers, and looked ready to throw them. Walter was holding a piece of glass, and it was cutting into his hands.

Gunfire started up again, so they were forced back into cover. I got James' attention and motioned for him to crawl to the wall. He quickly relayed my plan to Walter, and he nodded, but made James go first. He charged across the floor and made it to the wall in one piece, and took cover behind it with me. Walter was next, but I jumped out of the cover of the wall when I saw what was happening.

Seven men in black robes, with a white cross on their chests, jumped through the broken window. They were each holding an embroidered spear, with intricate designs curling across the blades.

"Walter!" I shoved him out of the way just as the Templars thrust their spears. From the angle the spears went into my body, it was safe to say that I was sitting on my knees, and pinned to the floor, as the spears had penetrated my shoulders and my chest. One was nearly in my neck, and another had just cut my skull as I moved my head out of the way, but I was barely able to dodge that.

I felt the trickle of blood come from my wounds and mouth. The Templars laughed and pushed the spears deeper into my body, twisting them for good measure.

"Greetings!" one of the Templars said. "Time to die!"


	34. The Life That Was Spared

Chapter Thirty-Three:

The Life That Was Spared

_**1746**_

__My breath had all but stopped. It was like being aware, yet unaware. I knew Walter was screaming at me, but I couldn't hear him. The Templars were smiling, and yet I barely could register their faces. James threw his knives at the Templars, emotionless as always, but even as they dodged them and the knives were instead imbedded in my flesh I didn't react. Everything moved slowly, and I forgot just how long I'd lived, and remembered how precious life had once been.

One of the Templars pulled me from the ground and tossed me at Walter's feet. "She's still alive," he said, "but you'll all be dead soon. Might as well say your good-byes."

Every bit of my body hurt, but as Walter kneeled beside me I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close.

"Help. Me. Up."

The look on his face was full of surprise, but he listened and helped me to my feet. I must have looked like a damn mess with those seven spears sticking out fourteen places on my body.

"Don't tell me something stupid like, 'I wish to die on my feet'," Walter said.

I shook my head painfully. "I… won't die." I looked at James. "This is… my fight. I… will handle this."

James hesitated, but inclined his head and stepped back respectfully. I pulled away from Walter and took two agonizing steps forward before I stopped.

"You're sending the girl?" one of the Templars said. "How cowardly!"

"Not… cowardly," I said through strained gasps. "Wise."

One of the Templars ran at me with his sword. I let him get in close, and then stepped to the side and buried my hidden blade into his gut. I retracted it quickly, so no one could really tell how he'd died.

"Kill her!" a Templar yelled.

I activated my left hidden blade and locked an attack with a Templar, then used my body's momentum to punch him in the side of the head with my right fist, sending him flying into the wall, and then I parried another blow, ducking low so my head wouldn't get chopped off, and kicked one of the Templars in the face. I jumped high into the air and smashed two Templars' heads together, and stabbed the last one in the face as I landed on his chest.

I rolled off of his body awkwardly, as my own started to give out. I didn't have enough blood for that kind of exertion. While the Templars were still being concerned idiots, I grabbed the shaft of one of the spears and pushed it through my body, crying out in pain. I continued this until all of the spears were at my feet, and the Templars had finally regained what little minds they had.

"Kill the Assassin!"

I turned and glared at them. "Let's see you try!"

Now that the spears were out, my movements weren't so limited. I ducked underneath a blade and slid into a Templar's legs, tripping him and sending him to a death on my hidden blades. I brought his body up with me and blocked the gunshots using his body, and then tossed the Templar into his friends. Four left.

The Templars scrambled out of the way, but right into my blades. I stabbed a Templar in the throat and another through the slit in his helmet, stabbing his eye and getting right through to his brain.

One of the last two Templars grabbed me from behind and threw me into the unbroken window. The force was enough to send me flying through it, so now Hugh Manor had two windows that needed fixing. A piece of glass drove itself through my shoulder, and even though I tried to ignore it, it was still incredibly painful. The Templars followed me outside, and each had two spears in their hands.

I stood and activated both my hidden blades. "Leave now, and you will not die this day."

The Templars laughed, and that was their fatal flaw.

I rushed at them, my hidden blades stabbing one in the chest. As the last Templar was reacting, I grabbed one of the spears and threw it inside the house, right into the heart of the Templar currently hanging from the wall. I had to make sure that there would be no surprises. I took in my hands the last spear on the ground, and deflected the Templar's blows. He had obviously trained with two spears before, I could tell, but he had a weakness.

He never looked behind himself.

As he swept the spears, I used my small form to my advantage and flipped over him, landing on top of the two spears, and thrust my spear into his back. He gurgled for only a moment before I pulled the spear out of him and let him fall forward to his death.

"Rest in peace," I said, and threw the spear to the ground.

_**2001**_

__It had already been a year since I last saw Michael, and pushed him out of that semi truck, and (to lay low) I was spending my time in New York City. But it seemed, wherever I went, Hell followed.

I hadn't been there a week when the Twin Towers fell. There was so much dust and debris that it was hard for every person in New York to tread outside, even though most still did. I was part of those people.

I sprinted towards the towers. Luckily (and unluckily) I was close, and so when the dust was just settling, I was one of many people who were volunteering as a rescue team. It wasn't until later that I learned that Templars and Assassins alike had been lost in those towers.

For everything I'd been through, I had no words to describe the scene before me. Who could have done it? If not who, what?

We spent hours cleaning the debris. Sometimes, we'd find survivors in one piece. Wounded, but in one piece. Sometimes not. I kept a low profile, but did my best to help out. Most of the city came to help too, and even people from different cities who'd heard about it. I was sure that most of the world knew about it by then.

My mind immediately started to blame the Templars for what happened, but I knew that the Templars weren't really to blame. They'd made the largest technological leaps in the past few centuries, so what reason would they have for doing such a sick thing? I couldn't think of any.

When September 23rd rolled around, I left New York and travelled to New Jersey. Rescue efforts in New York were nearly complete, and, like most of the people, I just wanted to get away from that horror.

But not before I met up with a few Assassins. We all stood in front of the remains of the towers, bowed our heads and closed our fists over our hearts.

"Rest in peace," we all said, and we stayed like that for a good moment of silence before we parted ways.

_**1746**_

__I'd fallen unconscious from blood loss. Of course, I should've died, but I'm really hard to kill (but it isn't because of _red_ apples, mind you). I spent the next few days in my room, not because it took that long to heal, but because I had some stuff to think about. James was right; I couldn't stay. If I did, this would keep happening. More Templars would come and try to kill everyone.

I'd propped a chair against the door so Walter wouldn't be able to come in, but even as I sat against the wall beside the door I could hear his steady breathing. I mentally berated myself for being so stupid and putting everyone in Hugh Manor in danger. So, I knew it was time to leave.

But even as I was putting my robes on, I felt it would be really rude to just up and leave, so I wrote a note. I left it on the bed and pulled my hood up after fastening my weapons to their places and replacing the metal bracers onto my hidden blades. I even left some money to pay for the damages.

I opened the window, but met with a surprise. Walter climbed up and perched on the windowsill casually, his face red.

"You finally opened your window!" he exclaimed. "I've been hanging there for nearly ten minutes! My arms hurt!"

I couldn't even think about a sentence to say, I was so shocked. Walter looked at my hood, my weapons, and then the note and money on the bed.

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

I nodded slowly. "I've… caused you enough trouble. I really should—."

"You're wounded. You need to rest!"

I sighed. "Fast healer, remember?"

Walter frowned and jumped down from the windowsill into my room. "Sara, I know you. You're thinking it's all your fault that this happened, but you saved my life. I'm not going to forget that. I owe _you_ now."

"I'm leaving. You couldn't repay me if you wanted to."

He smirked. "I'm gifted, remember? Charm, good looks, extreme wit…"

"But I think you should get a refund on that ego of yours."

Walter put his finger on my nose. I didn't really get why he liked my nose so much. "I think you're a witch, Sara."

"Well, aren't you nice?"

He laughed. "No, you're not getting it!" I was going to say something, but Walter's finger moved from my nose to my lips to shut me up. "Witches cast spells, yes?"

I nodded, my face slowly turning red and my hand starting to reach to grab his arm.

But I didn't even get close. "I think you've cast a spell on me, Sara. When I'm away from you, it feels as if I will die. But if I'm close to you, my head feels like it will explode! How much longer are you going to make me endure? You saved my life, Sara, in more ways than one."

It took me a second to realize that we were up against the wall. "W-What are you saying…?"

"You really haven't done anything like this before then, have you?" He smirked. "I guess I'll show you what I'm saying."

He removed his finger and held my head in his hands, then gently pressed his lips against mine. I had frozen up like a statue, too shocked to move. He was right; I'd never done anything like that before, since I was always so dedicated to my missions, both to the Order and Altair. And yet, somehow, I relaxed and wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him in closer.


	35. Wish You Were Here

Chapter Thirty-Four:

Wish You Were Here

_**1746**_

__Needless to say, against whatever better judgement I had, I didn't leave Hugh Manor. As soon as mine and Walter's lips parted, Meredith broke through my door (which had a chair propped against it. That woman scares me), saw Walter holding me against the wall, and nearly threw him out the window. To be honest, I think Walter barely escaped with his life.

I probably couldn't move away from the wall for about five minutes. My brain felt like it was restarting. After, I let my hood fall and put my weapons under the bed (except for my hidden blades), then went downstairs.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. James had told Jeanine, Catherine and Meredith that drunken men were vandalizing the manor, and I'd intervened. Strangely enough, the blood and bodies were gone, but the windows were still broken. I'd have to thank James later.

The next day, I changed into my robes again and grabbed my weapons, then told everyone I was going, but I'd be back soon.

Walter frowned. "You're not going to leave forever?"

"No," I said. "I'm just going to work."

James looked at me from out of the corner of his eye. He could tell I wasn't lying, though I really didn't know how he felt about me coming back.

"Okay," Walter said, almost as if in defeat. "I'm going to go for a walk soon. Maybe I'll come across you?"

"As long as you don't cleverly hide in alleys, no." I smiled. "I have to go now. Take care!"

I left the manor and headed for London, where I avoided the guards' attention. I made it to the Assassin's Bureau before noon, where I was immediately tackled by Diana.

"Sara! I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed.

"I will be… if you keep… suffocating me!" I gasped.

Diana released me and offered a hand to help me to my feet. "Sorry. We just haven't heard from you in a few weeks, and I did not believe James when he said you were staying with his family…"

"I owe them," I told her. "They helped me out. But I don't understand why you wouldn't believe James…"

"There have been rumours," Diana explained, "and I must be suspicious of everyone. Even you."

One of my eyebrows rose. "What? What rumours?"

"There might be a mole in the Order." I couldn't hide my surprise. "Templars could have put a spy among our ranks, and I've been trying to find the source, but it's proven difficult."

"Any leads?" I asked.

She shook her head. "None so far. Only an anonymous tip."

"The Templars could have hired anyone to give that information," I said. "They're probably trying to spread distrust among our ranks. We'll look into it, but, for now, keep the rumours quiet."

Diana nodded. "I can do that. By the way, we have a new assignment."

I went to the writing desk in the main office and saw all the orders on it. "Wow… You really haven't been distributing missions, have you?"

Diana shrugged. "I've been busy."

I smirked and quickly sorted through the pile. "Okay, give these to the lower-level recruits, and these to the higher-level recruits. Tell them to take their time, but work quickly at the same time. And these will go to the other Master Assassins around here…" I handed her the three bundles of orders. "I'll check the newer assignments out and let you know what looks promising."

Diana nodded and hurried off with the orders. I checked the last pile, which had the newest assignments in it. One seemed simple enough; infiltrate and poison. When Diana came back, I handed the order to her.

"This one looks good. And it's your specialty," I added, smirking. "Think you're up for it?"

"Easily," Diana said. "It's going to be a breeze."

"I'll take this one," I told her, holding up some orders. "I'm gonna start a riot."

Diana grinned. "You _do_ excel in annoying people. It'll be easy enough for you."

"Pfft. You're more annoying than I am, Diana. Don't even deny it."

James came into the office then. It seemed he suited the Assassin robes very well, even though his hair stuck out oddly like his brother's, so it was hard to keep inside the hood. My own hair was like that too.

"James," I greeted.

He inclined his head. "Master Taylor." He glanced at Diana. "Good day, Diana."

"And you, James," Diana replied.

I handed James an order. "I kept this one especially for you. It will deal with long-range targets, so I hope it won't be a problem."

"It won't," James said. "I'll take care of it now." He strode out of the office, but stopped for a second. "By the way, my brother is on his walk now. He is heading towards Buckingham."

"Thank-you, James," I said as he left.

Diana arched an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"He's just letting me know where my stalker is going, and where I should avoid," I told her. She seemed confused, nonetheless. Probably because she wasn't sure if I was serious or not.

"Well, I'm going to do that mission," I said to Diana. "I'll do it and come back tomorrow."

Diana nodded. "Try not to go missing for a while, okay?"

"No promises."

_**2012**_

__"Hey, Rebecca?"

"Sam?" Rebecca's voice filled me with relief. "Holy crap! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said into the cell phone. "Look, I need to know if you guys are still in Monteriggioni."

"No, we just hit the road. We got the location of the Apple."

"Wow! Where is it?"

"Rome," Rebecca said. "The Coliseum."

I rubbed my head. "So it's always been that close…"

I heard Rebecca sigh on the other end. "Hey, I know it may not mean much, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" I asked. "_You_ weren't the one who ate my fruit, were you?"

"No, that was Shaun." I heard Shaun start insulting Rebecca in the background. "I meant about Walter."

I paused. "There's nothing to be sorry for. That was years ago."

"Still. It's sad." Rebecca was typing on the other end. "We'll be there in a few hours. Are you gonna be meeting us there?"

I shook my head, but then realized that she couldn't see me. "No. I need to grab a few things at Monteriggioni before I get to Rome. Just get the Apple without me."

"Are you sure? I know we're pressed for time, but I think we can wait—."

"I'm serious, Rebecca. Get it without me. If I never have to lay my eyes on that thing again, I'll (hopefully) die happy."

I heard Rebecca chuckle. "And I thought us girls _liked_ shiny things…"

I laughed. "Not things so shiny that they screw up the cycle of life, my friend."

"I guess you're right."

_**1746**_

___This is embarrassing,_ I thought sadly. _I can't believe I got tangled…_

I looked up at my right leg; the one that'd been caught in ropes, and now I was hanging helplessly from a building, not too far from the ground, but I couldn't exactly reach my foot.

_Thank God no one can see me. At least I'm hanging in an alley._

I probably stayed like that for a few minutes before I heard footsteps coming down the alley. I sighed.

"I'm going out on a limb here and guessing it's you, Walter," I said.

I heard him laugh. "How'd you know?"

"You're the only person in London who cuts through alleys," I told him. "Um… Can you help me down?"

Walter spun me around so I was facing him, only upside-down. "No. I think I'll let you suffer here."

"What? You cazzo bastardo! Spero che tua madre ha un attacco di cuore!"

"Talking in Italian does seem to get your anger out a bit, does it not?" Walter smirked. "And no, please don't wish for my mother to have a heart attack. She'll come back from the dead to continue to nag at me, and I can't say I'd be overly fond of an undead mother."

I frowned. "Could you please cut the rope?"

"What do I get in return?"

"I won't kick your ass."

Walter smiled. "I think I'll pick my reward, thank-you."

"Then what—?"

Walter pressed his lips against mine, and I unintentionally melted into his kiss… again. Kissing upside-down… it sounded like a scene from something as outrageous as a moving picture.

Walter pulled away from me, took my shortblade, and jumped up to cut the rope. As soon as it cut, I was flipping my body around to land on the ground, but Walter caught me in his arms.

"P-Put me down!" I ordered.

He arched an eyebrow. "How do you say it…? Ah, yes." Walter cleared his throat and put on his most serious face. "_Hell_ _no_."

"_What_? Why not? I could kill you!"

Walter couldn't hold his serious expression. "But would you? Maybe to stop you, I'd give you another kiss. It seems to shut you up pretty well. And if I'd known that, I would have done it sooner."

I think I nearly punched him.


	36. Time Changes, Not You

Chapter Thirty-Five:

Time Changes, Not You

_**1746**_

__"Are the recruits nearly finished their assignments?" I asked Diana.

"Only James," she replied, shaking her head. "The others are taking their sweet, sweet time."

I sighed. With everything that'd happened over the past few weeks, my head was starting to pound with a vile headache.

"I can't deal with this right now," I told her. "I think I'll get some rest."

"God knows you need it," Diana said. "Ever since I've known you, you've been a workaholic."

"Thanks," I said, frowning. "Take over for me, will you?"

"Sure thing." Diana suddenly smiled as I left. "Don't be too rough on him."

I turned back, the confusion apparent on my face. "Huh?"

Diana laughed. "The man who is giving you that headache!"

I turned red almost immediately. It pissed me off that I wasn't in total control of my emotions anymore. You'd think that after a few hundred years, you'd get the hang of it…

"I don't know what you're talking about…" I muttered grumpily without looking at her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, my friend," Diana said, smirking.

I left then, mentally picturing tripping Diana to leave for the guards if we were ever being chased. By the time I got back to Hugh Manor, it was nightfall, and the entire Hugh family was already seated at the table to eat.

I joined them. "Sorry I'm late," I apologized. "Work was messy."

I saw James just _barely_ smirk. Now, the fact that James is practically emotionless contradicted with that smirk. I was so surprised I was staring at him, but quickly broke off when his tiny smirk turned back into his constant "displeased" expression.

"It was a busy day in London, so I can imagine," Jeanine said. "You are forgiven."

_Like I needed _you_ to accept my apology,_ I thought, frowning.

Catherine grinned. "Guess what, Sara? Henry told me that he's coming over tomorrow!"

I rubbed my head. "So, what time? I need to know when I need to hang myself."

"Please don't do it in that room. I want to keep it 'suicide-free'," Jeanine said. "If you're going to kill yourself, please do it where you won't make a mess."

"Is it weird that your mother is telling me that I need to kill myself somewhere private?" I asked all three of her children.

Walter laughed. "You could kill yourself in my room, if you'd like."

"Pervert."

James cleared his throat. "On that happy note, I'd like to inform you all that Lily is coming as well. She'll be distraught if Sara should kill herself upon being informed that she was coming." He took a quick sip of his tea. "I would not be able to bed her properly."

I stared at James, my mouth wide open and my eyes probably the size of the Apple of Eden. "W-What did you say?"

James took another sip of his tea, and in his uninterested monotone, said, "It was a joke."

"Then smile and laugh after it! You make it sound so damn real!" I exclaimed, my hands waving about furiously.

Walter grabbed my wrist and smiled. "Calm down, Sara! He does this sort of thing if he's excited."

"He's _excited_?"

Walter smiled sheepishly. "If you've lived with him for a few years, you'd get it."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine. It's not like it's a big deal, anyway."

He released my wrist and patted my head. "It's so much easier to calm you down now!"

I don't think I registered in my head that I was holding the knife on the table, but Walter noticed both that and my glare. That was enough to shut him up.

After we ate, I went into my room and stared out the window, leaning against the windowsill casually. I was in my undershirt, the only shirt I had that was sleeveless and worn underneath my robes, and my loose trousers, but I'd taken off my boots, as my feet started hurting earlier in the day.

Walter, as usual, came into my room without knocking and stared out the window with me, mimicking my position.

"The world seems to change quickly," he said quietly. "Look—do you see that? The birds are already heading south. Winter's coming."

"It changes far quicker than that," I told him, sighing. "It used to be that people fought with honour. We used to fight face-to-face. Now we have these guns, and you kill your enemies without looking into their eyes. It seems so… barbaric. And the cities have grown, both in culture and in people. Soon, it will not take a few days to reach another place, but a few hours."

"I can't imagine that happening for a while yet," Walter remarked. "I prefer to live in the moment."

"It depends on how many moments you have left."

Walter wrapped his arms around my waist and sat on the windowsill. "Then I will make the best of _this_ moment, Sara Taylor."

"I think you've been planning this," I said. "Well-played."

"What can I say? I'm notorious for my way of thinking."

"And yet I wonder if you can think at all."

"Ah, but Miss Taylor, you wound me with your cruel, cruel words." He grinned and lightly kissed me. "I must take offence to that."

"And again with that line."

Walter smiled. "Then I'll think of another one. One that makes you blush so violently that I'll have to check if your heart beats still."

"No fair. I blush easily."

"Only when I make you feel awkward." Walter pulled me closer. "Strangely enough, you seem comfortable here."

"I think I'm getting used to how you move."

Walter arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He pulled me towards the bed, and then sat on it, putting his body in the corner of the wall while sitting on it, then he invited me to join him.

"I have weapons, you know," I said.

"I know." I rolled my eyes and laid my head on his shoulder. "I think I was right," he said.

"Right about what?" I asked.

"I told myself I'd wait for the right girl, and I'd know her when I saw her. I didn't want to rush into relationships like many people." He sighed. "I think I was right to wait. I'm not happy with how long I've waited, but I'm relived that I've finally found the one."

My hands had somehow found Walter's. "I've spent my life fighting. I'm not sure if I could settle down. I've pictured every kind of death I could have, and dying as an old woman in a rocking chair has never really come to mind."

"If I were immortal, I'd stay with you forever."

That left a lump in my throat. "Don't wish for something as horrible as that. You should live life as it was meant to be."

"Are you saying that, if you were immortal, you'd leave me?"

"No!"

Walter pressed his lips against mine again and smiled. "Then what are you saying?"

"You made me lose my thoughts, sir." My eyes closed. "I just… It's like wishing to walk on water. You would only see the sky, when you could see so many amazing things under the water."

"I think I get it." Walter wrapped an arm around my shoulder and lightly kissed the scar on my shoulder. "I can tell you're tired. Get some sleep. You've worked too hard."

"I can never work hard enough," I told him, smiling. "But… I may just… rest my eyes for a moment…"

Before I knew it, I was asleep on Walter's shoulder. I had a nightmare-free night, and the only thing that I could think about was, _God, I hope I'm not drooling on him._

The next morning, I felt a heavy weight on my head, and realized that Walter's head was on top of mine. My eyes were adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the window when I heard the frantic cries of, "Walter!" throughout the manor.

I shook him awake. "Walter!"

His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled. "Good morning. Have a nice sleep? I have to say, your head is rather heavy when you sleep. I can't feel my shoulder."

I flicked him in the forehead. "Everyone's looking for you!"

Walter's eyes shot open. "Damn! I'll just climb out you window and act like I've been on a walk!" He smiled devilishly. "You should come with me."

I rolled my eyes and shoved him out the window, then followed him out. We pretended that we were engaged in an incredible conversation as we rounded the manor and entered through the front doors.

Meredith met us there. "There you are! Walter, did you wake Miss Taylor at such an ungodly hour?"

I shook my head. "I was already awake, so Walter and I went for a walk."

Meredith studied me, but I was sure it was my wardrobe that her eyes were focusing on. Before I could even move, Meredith scooped me up and tossed me over her shoulder.

"Lady Jeanine has asked that I make you into a proper lady!" Meredith said as she carried me up the stairs.

Walter was laughing hysterically at the look on my face. "W-What? No!"

"Sorry, but I must listen to my Lady."

"I'm not a ragdoll! Please put me down!"

Meredith laughed. "You will run away!"

"And I have no doubt that you will catch me."

Meredith dumped me into the chair at my writing desk and shut the door. "Good that you know that. A little fear will put anyone in their place!"

I could have sworn I saw a creepy black aura around the old maid. "Meredith… you scare me sometimes."


	37. Betrayal, Best Served Cold

Chapter Thirty-Six:

Betrayal, Best Served Cold

_**1746**_

__Meredith (unfortunately) dressed me up for when Lily and Henry came to visit. I liked Lily about as much as I despised Henry, and she was so full of emotions that she and James balanced each other out really well. I was happy that they were together. As for Catherine and Henry… Well, I knew that Catherine could do better than that asshole.

Catherine, at one point, pulled me into her room, grinning madly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I have a surprise for you," she told me. "I've already traced several copies, but I felt bad without telling you…"

Catherine held out a piece of paper, and I took it in my hands gently. It was a very, _very_ well done sketch. Of what? Of Walter and I, sound asleep.

"I came into your room because I thought you were up already," she admitted shyly. "I saw you two there and I… well, I grabbed my pencils and started sketching. It only took about half an hour, honestly, but you two were just so…"

"Um…" My face was already turning red. "I…"

"Don't worry about it!" Catherine said. "As far as I'm concerned, go ahead! You're better than most of the girls out there!"

_I just _can't_ believe that this took _halfanhour_… _I smiled. "This is beautiful, Catherine. You really have some talent!"

"I love drawing, but Henry tells me that I shouldn't be doing such a thing…"

I sighed. "Look, Catherine, Henry is an asshole who can't admit that he's an asshole. I don't think you should be with him."

Catherine nodded. "I know, but… it was my father's wish that I be with him."

"You're my age, Cat. Honestly, I think you should kick him in the ass and be done with him. Find someone who accepts you for you."

"It's harder than it looks, Sara."

I nodded. "I know. All the good ones are taken, or not interested. But that's just my opinion, and I won't pressure you to make a decision."

Catherine nodded. "Thank-you, Sara. You're a good friend."

"No, I'm not. If I was a good friend, I'd have hit you for not kicking his ass sooner." I smiled, and Catherine realized that I'd made a joke. "Let's go back down," I said as I held the paper out to her.

Catherine pushed the drawing to me. "I want you to keep it. I told you, I've traced copies already."

I inclined my head. "Thank-you, Cat. I'll make sure it's kept in the best condition, no matter what it goes through."

_**2012**_

__In Monteriggioni, I walked into the empty Sanctuary and sighed. I remembered when Ezio had first shown me this place, and how I'd remarked how close the statues of Qulan Gal and Altair looked to their real counterparts.

I sighed and went to the right side of Altair's statue and opened a secret compartment. There, sitting neatly on a shelf, was a red scarf and a sketch of Walter and I.

I briefly picked up the sketch and studied it. "I kept it, Cat. I told you I would," I said to no one.

I put the picture down and picked up the scarf, then wrapped it around my neck and pulled my hood up. Anyone could see the scarf around my neck, and one of the ends hanging loosely out of my hood. It still smelt like him…

"Here I come, Rome," I said as I shut the hidden compartment.

When Simon, Embry and I finally reached the Coliseum, I hopped out of the helicopter and instructed them both to go and get William. The nodded and flew away, leaving me at the ruins.

"Time to end this," I said, and started to run through it.

_**1746**_

__I won't tell you all the details about visiting with Lily and Henry, other than listening to the latter was painful. As we were just saying our farewells to the two (after I'd changed back into my full robes), we heard a knock at the door.

I was the one who opened it. The one who stood outside was Diana, in her full Assassin's garb.

"What're you doing here?" I hissed.

Diana didn't say a word, and that was when I noticed the red cross on her robes, directly over her head. When I'd noticed it, that was when she decided to speak.

"You know as well as I do that the Assassins are weak," she said. "The Templars can truly change the world."

I was at a loss for words. "D-Diana…?"

"Look, I know you, Sara. You don't want to put anyone in danger. I'll recognize that." She handed me a note. "Meet me here in an hour. If you don't show up, I'll send more Templars after you and the entire Hugh family." Diana's gaze flickered to the guests. "Family friends included."

"What's the meaning of this?" Henry shouted. "How dare you threaten me? I'll have you know—!"

I shot a glare at Henry. "Can it!" I looked back at Diana. "I'll see you there in an hour."

Diana inclined her head and walked away. I shut the door and sighed, then remembered everyone was behind me. I ignored them and walked up to my room, where I saw where I was to meet her; the river, in front of Big Ben.

I grabbed all of my weapons and put them in their respective places, then brought my hood up as Walter came in, breathless.

"Damn it, Sara!" he cursed. "Don't go!"

"I have to. This is something I have to try to put an end to."

Walter frowned and held me in his arms, holding me as close as he possibly could. "_Please_…"

I pressed my lips against his. "I'm sorry, Walter…"

He rested his head on top of mine and then kissed it. "I… I don't want you to go, but if you must, then please try to come back!"

"I'll try." I knew it was a lie. I couldn't come back, or else I would be with Walter, and I'd have to watch him grow old as he saw me never change. And kids… could I even have any? Would they share what the Apple did to me? I couldn't condemn them to such a life. Maybe if I died, then Walter would be able to move on and forget about me. I won't lie; it seemed the best option.

"I love you, Sara Taylor," he whispered.

I wanted to make the best of that moment, but I felt the lump come to my throat and my eyes start to sting. "I love you, Walter Hugh. Until the day I die."

He pushed something into my hands, soft and durable at the same time. I looked down and saw a dark red scarf.

"For the winter," he explained. "We can share it when you come back."

I gripped it in my hand tightly and kissed Walter one last time. "I love you," I said again.

I left Hugh Manor with the scarf tied around my neck, and an end hanging loosely from the hood. I met Diana at the river, with no time to spare.

"Are you ready?" Diana asked.

"Before we start, I need to ask you something, Diana," I said.

She pulled her hood up. "What?"

"We're friends. I helped to teach you what the Order was about. Why betray it?"

Diana sighed. "The Assassins can do nothing. The world is crumbling to pieces, and I will not stand by as we all die."

I pulled my hood over my eyes. "You have forgotten your path. If this is it, then I'm sorry for not being a better teacher."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Diana rushed at me, and buried a hidden blade in my heart.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the river, then stabbed a hidden blade into her throat. I wished it to end quickly for her, despite her betrayal. I pulled her hidden blade from my heart.

"Rest in peace," I said, and toppled backwards into the river.

_**1755**_

__I knew my reasons for leaving Walter were completely selfish, mostly because I was scared that I didn't know any answers about what could happen with us in the future.

And yet, there I was, looking through the window of Hugh Manor into the main room, where Walter, now thirty-one years old, was playing with a young girl that looked exactly like him. A woman, with auburn hair and a proud face, came into the main room and kissed both of them on the cheek.

It wasn't surprising that Walter had moved on, and yet it tore my heart out. I asked for it, I know. I let it evolve into this, where Walter thought me dead, James was married to Lily, and now a Master Assassin, leading the Assassins in London, and Catherine had dumped Henry and found someone better. Meredith was still kicking, too.

I walked away from the manor, and even though I tried to hold it back, I felt the tears fall. It was all my fault, because of how ridiculously selfish I was. I could only move forward in time, but never back.

"But I'll still love you, Walter."


	38. The Beginning of the End

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

The Beginning of the End

_**1776**_

__I'd avoided London as much as possible during the next twenty-one years. But I couldn't leave it behind for good; not after I read their morning paper, since Walter had gotten me in the habit all those years ago.

One last time, I stood in front of Hugh Manor, then I quickly ran around it and scaled the manor until I found Walter's room. In the paper, I'd read that he was dying, and he kept calling out the name, "Sara Taylor". A name his wife wasn't familiar with.

_He's fifty-two now,_ I thought as I reached the open window. _Will he even remember me?_

I climbed through the window after checking to make sure the coast was clear and lowered my hood. Lying on the bed was a man, and you could tell he was old, and yet he looked very good for his age, much like Ezio had when he was in his forties. His breathing was ragged and strained, and I could tell just by looking at him that he did not have long.

But it seemed that Walter's senses had not dulled over the years. "Who's there?" he called out, trying his best to keep his voice strong.

I sat on the edge of his bed and wrapped my hand in his. "A concerned well-wisher, sir."

I heard him chuckle. "Well, you should keep it to yourself. I know what comes. I accept it."

There were streaks of grey in his jet-black hair, and he'd grown a half-goatee, but other than that, he was the same, chocolate-eyed, stubborn, and weird boy I knew years ago.

"I come to make it easier on you."

"What, you've come to kill me?"

I sighed. "No. I've already killed one of your family. Luckily for me, no one harboured any love towards him."

Walter paused, then painfully pushed himself into a sitting position. He studied me closely, his eyes as keen as ever, and then his free hand touched my cheek as his eyes widened in disbelief.

"S-Sara…?"

I felt the tears come, but I did nothing to stop them. "No, it's the tooth fairy, obviously."

He broke out in a grin and hugged me, his own tears starting to fall. "I must be dead already…"

"I'm no angel, I assure you," I told him. "I came because I needed to be here."

Walter held me out at arm's length. "But… you haven't changed the slightest bit…"

"It'd take too long to explain, and that is time I fear you do not have." I sighed. "Maybe, when you go to God, you will understand."

Walter nodded in understanding. "I thought you were dead, love."

"Like I said, I can't explain now."

"Then answer me this: why did you leave?"

I crawled into the bed with him and got as close as I could. "I was selfish, and I thought that the choice I made would be the right one. You have a family now, and siblings that have your back no matter what. I left so you could have such a life, since I could never have that."

Walter's strength weaned, and so I sat up in the bed and rested his head on my shoulder.

"That is not selfishness," Walter whispered. "I am an old man, Sara. I know the difference between selfishness and selflessness."

"You hold me in too high a regard, sir. Your mind must be gone."

I heard him chuckle. "I must take offence to that, love."

I smiled. "I thought we agreed you'd pick a better line?"

He closed his eyes as his breathing started to fail. "How about… I'll come back… to you? I'll be… reborn, and you and I… will have our… second chance?"

I hugged him. "I'll hold you to it. I love you, Walter. Until the day I die."

"And I you, Sara Taylor." His hand started to slip out of mine. "I… missed you… so much. I missed… the feel of… your skin, the sound… of your voice… and the precious moments… we shared… together."

And just like that, Walter died. He died in my arms, but at least he knew that I loved him, and that the meaning behind my words meant so much. I hugged his body close and cried softly. I now knew how Ezio had felt about Cristina, and I briefly wondered if I'd find someone else. But, to me, Walter was my one and only.

"Until the day I die," I repeated, and then rested his head gently on his pillow.

His face was stained with tears of happiness, and there was his stupid, devilish smile plastered on his face. I closed his chocolate-brown eyes and folded his hands over his chest.

"Rest in peace," I whispered, and then kissed his forehead, "my love."

I left through the window just as the door opened. But I didn't stay to find out who it was. I just needed to get away from the pain in my heart.

_**2012**_

After several trials that tested my stamina, which I was sure Desmond had taken, I finally made it to the Santa Maria Aracoeli and saw the path which Desmond had gone to open the Vault. An elevator came up, and as soon as I'd stepped onto it, it flew downwards. When it came to an abrupt stop, I saw stairs that led up to a door, and so I went to it.

In the distance, I saw Desmond, Lucy, Rebecca and Shaun. They were on the middle platform around the Apple.

_It's been a long time since I've seen that thing,_ I thought with a frown. _I hope they know what they're doing. _

I took a step forward and heard Shaun speaking, though I couldn't make out the words. Desmond reached out to grab the Apple, but as soon as he did, everything froze.

Well, everything except for Desmond and I, anyway.

My head started to pound violently, forcing me to my knees. I cried out in pain, a pain I'd never experienced in all my wildest adventures.

"_**You are one of the first to lay your eyes on this tool for many years, just as Altair Ibn La'Ahad and Al Mualim. You were affected by this because of the desperation a human heart can hold. A secret has been passed to you, Suna Ibn La'Ahad, and it is both a gift and curse."**_

I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the voice and pressing forward. Every step I took was painful, and an even more painful image flashed through my head. Death, failure, and loss.

"_**But you, more than anyone, wish to squander it. You want your heart to stop beating once and for all, for your own selfish reasons. After all you could have done for this world, when you could have helped it, and delayed it from its inevitable destruction, you ignored that calling simply because of a petty 'promise'."**_

"Stop it," I begged as my ears started ringing and I saw Desmond's hidden blade come out. "Please!"

"_**You condemned yourself, Suna Ibn La'Ahad. We, who created you humans in our image, also flawed you by doing so. You called us Gods, and yet we only came before. You became conceited, and obsessive. War-like and violent. You carry all of these traits, and you cannot escape it."**_

I saw Desmond take a few steps toward Lucy, who was frozen in place like Rebecca and Shaun.

"Desmond!" I yelled, hoping he would hear me. "Stop!"

He took another step forward, and I could tell that he was trying his best to resist. The closer I got to the Apple, the more painful the ringing in my ears were. I felt the trickle of blood come from them, and I collapsed, unable to continue on. But I was forced to watch as Desmond stabbed Lucy.

"_NO_!" I screamed.

"_**This is how it must be. This is the only way to move on. We hid these tools away for a reason, and all humans have become enthralled by their powers, so they were sought out. Now, there are only six, and the Sixth is before you now."**_

Desmond and Lucy fell to the ground. I couldn't even see how Shaun and Rebecca were, because my vision had gone. I'd blacked out. And yet, the voice was still there.

"_**Suna Ibn La'Ahad, you are one of the first to lay your eyes on this tool for many years. Pray that it is not the last."**_

It had all come down to this, and I was too weak to move on.

"_**To get through the hardest journey we need only take one step at a time, but we must keep stepping." –Chinese Proverb**_

_**To Be Continued…**_


	39. Author's Notes

Author's Notes:

And that is the conclusion of _Assassin's Creed: Agent of Altair_. It will be officially concluded when _Assassin's Creed: Revelations_ comes out (and after I've played it and bought the Encyclopaedia). I haven't thought of a title for it yet, but if you look in my stories sometime in November, then it'll be there.

This story was abnormally long. I thought it'd go to a max of twenty chapters, and I just did thirty-seven (I don't count my prologues)! I know I missed a few update days, but I hope the end result was good enough. I'd also like to point out that I love reviews, and after completely boring days of the eleventh grade, it's nice to read reviews from people and be able to reply to all of their comments.

I had Suna in my head for weeks before I put her down on paper. The first time I wrote her in an AC fan-fiction, it was an epic fail. So was the second try. However, the third time seems to be the charm. I've been an _Assassin's Creed_ fan for about four years now, and it was one of the first games I got for my PS3. Only part that annoyed me was the credits, which were _fucking_ _long_. Other than that, I love _Assassin's Creed_.

Now, I love fan-art. If you have an interest in drawing, go ahead and draw one of my OC's from this story. I just ask that you copyright Assassin's Creed to Ubisoft, and the OC's to me. Don't steal them, or else I'll send Suna after you. And please, send me a link if you make one. I'd love to see it and favourite it on deviantART!

Lastly, I did have to research a lot about the 1700's, because it isn't really mentioned in the _Assassin's Creed_ universe. Sorry Ubisoft, but I got there first! Just kidding (but seriously, I did).

And just-in-case you wanted to know, I do listen to lots of music while writing, so here are the theme songs of people I can think of:

Suna/Sam/etc.: Forces of Destiny, Two Steps From Hell

Walter Hugh: Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson

Ryan: Help is On the Way, Rise Against

Tyler: That's Your Horoscope For Today, Weird Al Yankovic

And those are all I can think of, as I just listened to random songs for everyone else. If you have any questions or inquiries, please let me know.

Oh, and I'm going to finish up my X-Men fan-fiction so I can get working on a Bleach fan-fiction. That'll be my next l'il project… I think. In all honesty, I haven't decided yet.

Well, just keep an eye out and keep reviewing! (And for you people who liked my inFAMOUS story, I may just be putting up a bonus story in the near future if I have enough time. Not to get your hopes up or anything.)

Thanks for reading, and please stay with me!


End file.
